The Freshmen
by sweettooth7
Summary: Bella and Edward each led safe little lives in the towns where they grew up, and neither of them knew that starting college would throw it all upside down. Meeting one another was proving to be the best and worst thing that happened to either of them...
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to my story! **

**Please send reviews with any comments/concerns/questions/suggestions...and thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoy it : )**

**Please note that if you recognize anything in this story, I do not own it : )**

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**

_Okay, _now_ where am I supposed to go?_

She scanned the busy area, without a clue. There were people everywhere, all seeming to know exactly where they were going and what they were doing. Eating, drinking, talking with friends, reading, walking with a purpose. No one looked nearly as lost as she was.

She glanced at her phone one more time. Ten minutes to go. And for all she knew, she needed to be at the other end of campus. She found a doorway with an _Exit_ sign above it and chose that one.

_Here goes nothing._

She walked briskly, pulling her folded schedule out of her jeans pocket to check one last time. _Wait, maybe it's this way_. She began to turn around to go back in the direction she was coming from – her sneakers squeaking on the linoleum floor – but instead slammed hard into someone. A set of hands reached out on impulse to steady her.

"Oh!" she called out, startled, dropping her crumpled-up schedule. "I am _so_ sorry."

"That's alright," he replied, as he bent down to pick it up. Their eyes met when he handed it back to her. _Whoa_. _Hello, there._

"I was just…in a hurry," she began, waving her hand around to convey how silly it all was, as though she owed any sort of explanation at all. But those green eyes held her and she couldn't make herself leave. Her next words spilled out quickly. "I have this class and I have no idea where the building is, and I needed to get the textbook, but they didn't have it at the bookstore, so I had put my name on a waiting list and they finally called me this _morning_, so I went to get it and the line was just _ridiculous_, and now I'm late and I don't know where I'm going because they just switched the location of the class last night and I didn't have time to figure out where it actually is," she paused to take a breath when she noticed the slight smirk on his perfect face, looking amused but friendly.

_He _had_ to be perfect, didn't he,_ she thought to herself.

She didn't notice the way his eyes roamed over the features of her face as she frantically explained herself. She did, however, notice the way his wire-rimmed glasses sat atop the strong slant of his nose, doing nothing to conceal the intensity of his green eyes.

Her cheeks turned instantly pink and she looked down at her feet, smiling timidly. "Sorry. You don't need to know my life story."

"It's really okay," he said again with a chuckle. "It happens to everyone in the first week of school. Maybe I can help you. Where do you need to be?"

"Um…Earl Hall."

"Well, you're in luck. It's past the library, but before the Behavioral Research Lab. Just go through those doors and follow the path. You should be there in a few minutes, so you won't be late."

The Exit-sign door would have definitely taken her in the exact opposite direction.

She smiled brightly at the beautiful stranger who helped her find her way to class. "Okay. Thanks so much." _Must not be a freshman_, she thought.

"No problem," he replied coolly, although his bright, crooked grin suggested he felt anything but cool.

Their smiles lingered on one another for a fraction of a second longer. "I should probably get going. Thanks again." She reluctantly pulled away and began taking a few steps backwards, her wide smile still plastered on her face.

He laughed at her gratitude. "You're welcome."

"Have a good day," she replied, raising her hand to waive as she turned around.

He watched her retreating figure for a second and shook his head, still smiling. After his alarm not going off, not being able to find a pen for his first class, spilling coffee on himself, and ending up in the wrong lecture hall, his day had suddenly turned around. He held that smile at the forefront of his mind all day long, though he knew deep down that it was wrong to do so.

* * *

After her class, Bella headed back to her dorm room. Just as she was unlocking the door, her cell phone buzzed from her backpack. She pulled it out as she walked inside and smiled when she saw the name that appeared on the screen.

"Hey," she said in greeting.

"Hey, Bella!" The familiar voice was enthusiastic, as was his usual. "How was your first class?"

"Fine," she sneered. "Once I found it. I got _so_ lost this morning. _But_, I did run into the most beautiful boy I've ever seen in my life."

His laughter was loud in her ear, and she had to pull back from the earpiece.

"What's so funny?" She asked her best friend, though she already knew. Bella was not one to have boys at the forefront of her mind. She had given up on the male species when she had her heart broken at age sixteen.

"I'm happy to hear you finally getting all hot and bothered over someone, that's all."

"Hey! I am not _hot_ and _bothered_, okay? And you clearly didn't hear me: I _bumped _into him. Literally."

"Yeah, well, you're a klutz. Fact of life, Bella."

"I'm past klutzy. They should invent a new word for me," she mumbled.

"So what's his name?"

"I have no idea. Probably something gorgeous. Oh, well, at least one good thing came out of my miserable morning, right?"

"Oh, come on. I'm sure it wasn't that bad. You're a lot more charismatic than you give yourself credit for. I bet he was thinking about you all morning." He teased.

"You're a jerk."

"Am not. You know I think you're too hard on yourself. I've been telling you this all through high school."

"Yeah, I know. But you and I went to different high schools, Jasper."

"Only in your mind, Bells." She rolled her eyes. It was true; he was always trying to get her to see more of herself. "What are you doing now? Want to come over here?" Jasper's dorm room was in the next building, and the two were ecstatic to have been neighbours.

"I have a class in an hour. Maybe later?"

"Sure, Bells. I'll be here. Later!"

"Bye, Jasper."

Just as Bella was ending the call, her roommate came barging into the room.

"Hey Rosalie," Bella said absently as she sorted through her books at her desk.

"Bella. Have you _seen_ our RA?" Her lack of greeting and serious tone caught Bella's full attention.

Rosalie was clearly excited, which was surprising. Although Bella had only known her for a few weeks, Rosalie clearly wasn't one for game-playing. She was a stunning, ethereal beauty with flowing long blonde hair. She dressed mainly in earth tones and her bohemian chic style suited her perfectly. She majored in Environmental Science, and from the few school-related conversations the girls had together, Bella realized that Rosalie wanted to save the planet. And could probably do it single-handedly, at that. Upon first laying eyes on Rosalie's impeccable beauty, all Bella could think was, _I really hope this girl's a bitch_. But after the first two words that came out of Rosalie's mouth, Bella couldn't help but love her. Though Rosalie had a very intimidating no-nonsense attitude, there was something about her that just clicked.

"Emmett McCarty? Yeah, I met him a few days ago at that welcome event."

"Um, _hello_! Why didn't you tell me he's _perfect_? I can't believe my first shift at work had to be _that_ day. I've missed out on three whole days of knowing him."

Bella laughed, enjoying this playful new side of Rosalie.

"You're into Emmett? Seriously?"

"You're _not_? Wait, don't answer that. I don't want to know." Bella giggled. "I bet every girl in this dorm is into him. He's gorgeous. Seriously gorgeous. And smart. Did you know he's majoring in International Business? _And_ he's really nice, too. _Wow_," she breathed as she sat on her bed.

Bella nodded in agreement. It was true; Emmett was a great RA so far, though she was very much certain that Rosalie's feelings for him ran much deeper than hers.

"What's the etiquette on dating your RA?"

Bella burst out laughing at this unexpected question. "I don't know. _Is_ there etiquette?"

"There must be. I should probably look into this."

"I would imagine it's frowned upon," Bella told her between fits of giggles.

"You think?" Rosalie sounded genuinely horrified. "That would be awful. I think I'd consider switching dorms."

"Don't you dare," Bella exclaimed as she tossed one of her pillows at Rosalie. "I like you, and with my luck I'd end up getting stuck with some creepy psychopath." Rosalie laughed. "Alright, I'd better head out to find this class. Later, Rosalie!"

"Bye, Bella. I'll be looking into it!" She shouted as Bella left to find her next class.

* * *

Much to Bella's satisfaction, the rest of her afternoon went by uneventfully, with no getting lost before class or embarrassing bump-ins, although she wouldn't complain if she happened to bump into _him_ again. She walked back into her dorm and tossed her bag onto her bed.

"Okay, so I Googled it and it seems as though we're good to go," Rosalie began by way of hello.

"For what?" Bella asked absently.

Rosalie stared blankly at Bella, as though she couldn't believe Bella could forget something so important. Bella stared back, waiting for Rosalie to elaborate.

"The RA thing," Rosalie finally prompted.

"You _Googled_ it?" Bella asked in disbelief.

"Yes."

"And Google said it was fine to date your RA?"

"Well, I mean, yes. Generally. Unless he or she is your roommate, in which case it _is_ frowned upon. But that's just common sense. Emmett's all the way at the other end of the hall, so…"

Bella giggled as she shook her head in disbelief. "Rosalie, you are one determined girl."

Rosalie grinned at Bella, taking it as a compliment, given that her determination had never failed her in the past.

"Thank heavens for Google, right?" Bella teased.

Rosalie just shrugged. "I would have gone after him anyways."

* * *

The week passed quickly, and Bella barely had a minute to call her parents and give them an update on how her first week of classes was going. Come Friday, she was sure she was finding her way around campus a little easier and had found the perfect spot in the library where she would likely do most of her studying.

She was walking back to her dorm after her last class of the week, skimming over the syllabus and mentally plotting when she would start her assignments. She went rooting through her bag in order to compare the syllabus she was holding with another, when a gust of wind snatched it from her hand and sent it flying.

"Shit," Bella muttered and she chased after it, thoroughly embarrassed in case people were watching, but desperate to get hold of it.

Just as she was about to reach down to grab it, a foot stepped on it and held it down for her. She grabbed it quickly and stood up to thank the stranger.

"Thank you," she started, brushing her hair off of her face, but stopped abruptly when she noticed that it was _him_. The Beautiful Stranger.

"My pleasure," he responded with a grin.

"Wow, you just keep rescuing me. I swear I'm not always this flakey," she said with nervous laughter, referring to the time they first met. _Wait, what if he doesn't remember that? Way to look like a stalker._

"I don't think you're flakey at all," he answered, causing her to blush. _He does remember me._

"Well, thank you. Again."

"You're welcome. Again."

She smiled up at him in response to his kindness. _Those eyes_. And that was all Bella could focus on. He was just one of those people who owned beautiful eyes and probably didn't even know the effect they had on people.

_Ask him for his name, idiot_. But the words wouldn't come.

"Well, um, have a good rest of your day," she stammered, unable to come up with any other way to prolong the conversation.

"I will, thanks. And you too."

Bella waved shyly as she continued her walk to her dorm. _His name, get his _name, she shouted at herself. _Oh, who am I kidding?_ Bella had never been the type to be able to just ask for a cute boy's name. She would never be the one to make the first move, because she had never been that girl. She resigned herself to the fact that she would just have to lock his handsome face to her memory, and accept that her relationship with him would remain at accidental meetings as a result of her doing something embarrassing, followed by him rescuing her in one way or another.

* * *

Her phone rang just as she was getting out of the shower after her morning run on Saturday.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bells! Lunch?" It was Jasper, confirming their plans that they had discussed the day before.

"Yep! Noon at your place?"

"Awesome. See you later!"

Bella and Jasper had clicked instantly when they met on the first day of the third grade. Jasper Whitlock had moved to Forks from Fort Worth, Texas to live with his father – along with his younger siblings, Charlotte and Peter – after their mother had taken a job which would have her travelling for most of the time. It pained her to have to send her children so far away, but she knew this job would offer them much more than she could currently give them. It was how Jasper was able to afford moving across the country to go to a great college with his best friend, and how he was able to acquire a functioning second-hand car to call his own.

Ever since the day that shy young Bella had approached the new boy in class to make him feel welcome, the two became inseparable. Despite their wildly different personalities and reputations, they leaned on each other through the good and bad, making for a remarkable friendship.

Jasper had quickly turned into The Boy Everyone Loved. Literally, _everyone_. He was loved by his teachers, his classmates, his boss at the local gas station, his siblings, his friends' parents. Everyone. He didn't have one enemy, because no one could bring themselves to ever hate him. He emanated warmth wherever he went, and was able to relate to people easily. He did well in school and got involved in all the activities. He was the absolute definition of popular.

Bella, on the other hand, had grown into a very shy, very reserved young woman. She was generally awkward in high school, unable to connect with many people. She often wondered why Jasper had stayed friends with her after seeing that he could clearly be seen around anyone that he wanted, and he hated when she would say that. "You're my best friend, Bella. No one could come close to that, ever."

While Jasper often took centre stage, Bella supported him from the sidelines. Although she would rather stay home and curl up with a good book, Jasper rarely did anything without her. As such, she was often dragged to parties and events alongside of him and she would go, knowing how important those things were to him. Most of all, she didn't want to hold him back. Unfortunately, this was how she got the reputation of being Jasper's mousy charity case. Though no one understood them or knew the depths of their friendship, on the outside it just seemed like he was pulling her through high school.

She was the one he told everything to first – good news and bad news, happiness and complaints, sadness and excitement. They talked everything through together before deciding on anything and weighed out each available option, even if it was as simple as where to go for lunch before the matinee.

"_Bella?"_

"_Yeah, Jasper?"_

_They were sitting in the school library, studying for their Biology test one October afternoon. Jasper voice had broken their deep concentration, and he sounded serious._

"_What are you going to do for college? Where are you going to apply? Have you thought about it?"_

_She put her pen down and gave him her full attention. This was something that had been plaguing him lately. He was worried that they would end up on opposite ends of the country._

"_I was thinking Columbia, actually," she told him, and cleared her throat. She wasn't sure what Jasper's possibilities were, and she hoped that her answer didn't upset him for whatever reason. Bella hadn't told him her latest option yet._

"_Hm. Columbia." He seemed to mull this over in his head for a few seconds. "I could do Columbia. Do you think they have a good Pharmacology program?"_

_Bella stared blankly at him. "Have you _completely_ turned small-town? It's Columbia. I'm sure their Pharmacology program is half decent."_

"_Okay. Let's do Columbia." _

"'Let's_'?"_

"_Yeah. Let's. Together." He went back to his notes._

"_Jasper," Bella laughed nervously. "How can you decide just like that? Columbia might not be what you want. You should look into it."_

_He put his pen down and looked her straight in the eyes. "Bella, do you really want us to be separated? I'm hurt." She knew he was joking._

"Well, no, but…you know I don't want to hold you back," she finished shyly.

_He laughed. "You're right. You'd totally be holding me back at shabby old Columbia. Who's small-town now?" He shook his head, still laughing and went back to his notes._

"_Well, if that's what you want, then let's do it." She certainly wouldn't turn down having him go to college with her. The thought of being all alone was daunting enough as it was._

"_Okay. If we both get into Columbia, we'll go to college together. If not, then I'll just find someplace close enough that we can still hang out. Deal?"_

_Bella smiled widely at her best friend. "Deal. But what if _I_ don't get into Columbia?"_

"_You will. Don't be an idiot."_

"_How can you be so sure?"_

"_Because I know you better than you know yourself."_

"_I hope you're right," she giggled and turned her attention back to her notes._

_It was true, Jasper had a better grasp of who she was, even if she didn't always believe him. He believed in her – really believed in her – and she loved the Bella that he saw through his eyes. She just couldn't bring herself to believe that that Bella actually existed._

Bella arrived at Jasper's dorm room at noon, as promised.

"No Edward again?" she asked. Jasper's roommate was never around, and Bella was starting to think he didn't actually exist, as she had yet to meet him.

"Nope. Working today."

"Does that guy go out of his way to avoid you? He is _never_ here when I come by."

Jasper laughed. "Our schedules are completely opposite. He's really cool, actually. Maybe we should make a game out of it. See how long it will take before you two cross paths. He air quotes your name now when I mention you."

Bella laughed at that. "I know. How have we been here for almost a month and I've never met the guy? You've seen Rosalie a million times."

"Have I ever," Jasper said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Bella rolled her eyes. Rosalie was the type of girl that could get a guy hit by a car from starting too hard. "She would never go for you, you know." she said bluntly.

"Why not?" he asked, mock offended.

"Because you drink out of plastic water bottles."

"Maybe she can look past that once she gets to know how awesome I am."

Bella laughed at his cockiness. She knew he was only joking, though it was actually true – you'd be hard-pressed to find a girl who _didn't_ fall for Jasper Whitlock.

"Food court?" she asked to change the subject.

"Yep!"

The two made their way to the food court and perused the available options before both deciding on burgers, fries and milkshakes.

"I saw him again yesterday," Bella began as they got situated at a table.

"Who?"

Bella rolled her eyes at Jasper, as though it should be obvious. "You know. The guy. Beautiful Stranger."

Jasper laughed. "How could I forget? And? Did you talk to him?"

"Yes. After he rescued my piece of paper that was flying away in the wind."

"Oh, Bella," Jasper groaned. Bella was – and would always be – the world's biggest klutz.

"I know, it was humiliating. But we did talk, so that was nice. He has a great voice."

"A great _voice_? Are you kidding me? Wow, this guy woke you from the dead. I've never heard you talk about anyone like this – especially someone you don't even know."

Bella sighed. "I wish I knew him. If only to be able to look at him whenever I want."

"Do _I_ have a great voice?" he asked her.

"It's fine, I guess."

"Ouch, Bella. That was harsh."

"Well, it certainly doesn't give me goose bumps like his does, I'll tell you that much."

"I'm sure there's a girl out there who thinks I have a nice voice. And maybe even someone that calls _me_ Beautiful Stranger."

"Yeah, sure. Maybe." They were teasing each other, as Jasper was never one to be short of admirers, though he would never admit to that. "Are you working tonight?"

He nodded through a mouthful of food. Jasper had gotten a job almost immediately as a pizza delivery boy for a place a few blocks from campus.

Bella sighed. "I need a job," she mumbled and took another bite. "Where's your roommate working?"

"Butler Library."

"Oh, cool! Is he an English major like me?"

"No, Bella. Only losers like you are English majors." She threw a fry at his face and he swiftly caught it between his teeth, much to her chagrin. "He's in Architecture. He just likes to read. Also, having an English major is not a prerequisite to working in a library."

She was starting to like the elusive roommate more and more. Maybe he had some good books she could borrow. Of course, she'd have to meet him first.

"Well, I don't know. What random college student works at the library unless they're obsessed with literature?"

"People, Bella. People work at libraries. It's a job and it's close to our dorm."

"Whatever."

Something dawned on Jasper at that very moment, and his eyebrows shot up as he sped up his chewing to finish his bite.

"Why don't you work at the pizzeria with me?" he asked, clearly very excited about the idea.

"I am _not_ delivering pizzas."

"You wouldn't be delivering them, you'd be answering phones. They need someone; I saw the ad on the store window. And what's wrong with delivering pizzas?"

"Well, nothing. If you're not inept like me. I'd end up in debt just having to pay for all the pizzas I dropped."

"So answer the phones then. Even you can't screw that up."

"Thanks," she replied flatly, though she really didn't think it was such a horrible idea. She needed a job that required the least amount of opportunities to drop or break things. Answering phones seemed pretty harmless.

"So?" Jasper prompted.

"It's not a _horrible_ idea."

"Yes!" he said enthusiastically. "Come with me tonight and fill out an application."

"Okay, fine. What time?"

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: Though I've used the names of actual buildings at Columbia, I have never been there and have no idea where they are actually located or their proximity to one another or other buildings. For the purpose of this story, let's pretend it all makes sense. And for those of you who go to Columbia: I'm sorry for butchering your beautiful school!**

**Oh, and I know that the girls would have met their RA when they first arrived at school, but let's all remember that I'm a confused little Canadian who lived with her parents through university, as many Canadians do…it's fiction, right? ; )**


	2. Chapter 2

**Please note that I am the WORST at knowing when to break for a new chapter. I have no idea where one should start and one should end - I just don't see the flow!**

**And don't forget: if you recognize it, it isn't mine : )**

* * *

**CHAPTER 2**

Bella got the job at the pizzeria, and was scheduled to work at least three nights a week and one of them had to be a weekend. They pay was decent and it seemed like an easy enough job so she couldn't complain. She was even allowed to bring a book with her so that she could read between phone calls if it was a slow night.

On Wednesday, the day after her first shift, Bella made her way to the library to settle in for a solid few hours of reading. About an hour into her studying, she let her eyes wander around to the other library patrons and almost choked on her heart that had jumped into her throat when she saw him. Beautiful Stranger.

He was looking through one of the shelves and had pulled out a book, flipping through it casually. He set it back in its place and scanned the shelf for something else, his eyes flitting briefly in Bella's direction.

Her heart pounded furiously as their eyes locked, and he smiled warmly and waved at her. She smiled back.

The way he looked at her made her skin crawl, in a good way. His gaze sent her reeling, and she found that everything around her would simply blur when he was around, as if her mind only wanted to focus on him. His face, his stance, his voice, the way he moved, his words…

Before either of them had a chance to break eye contact, a small girl came up beside him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He looked down at her in surprise and smiled as she took the book he was holding and flipped through it herself.

The girl was cute. Petite with light brown hair and a pretty face. And it was the natural type of pretty, not the pretty that came with good makeup skills.

They exchanged a few hushed words and Bella noticed the girl gazing up at him sweetly as her heart fell seemingly to the ground and got stomped on repeatedly. With steel-toe boots.

The girl took his hand and playfully pulled him out of sight. Beautiful Stranger glanced back in Bella's direction – a glint of something Bella couldn't name in his eye – and gave her a small wave as he walked away with the girl.

Bella felt her face flush as she turned her face back to her textbook. _Of course he has a girlfriend_, she told herself. _What did you expect, anyway_?

Bella had never entertained the idea that she would ever be with him, but it still stung deeply to see him with another girl. Another girl who was free to touch and kiss him whenever she wanted. She could wrap her arms around him and take his hand, and it was confirmed that Bella couldn't – and would likely never have the chance to – do any of those things.

She tried desperately to shake him from her mind as she kept reading, but a small part of her still felt the disappointment that he was now one more degree of unattainable.

When Bella finally left the library, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed the familiar number.

"Hey, Jasper," she said glumly when he answered.

"Whoa, what's wrong with _you_?"

"I saw Beautiful Stranger," she sighed.

"And? Isn't that cause for celebration? Did he kick a puppy or something?"

"He has a girlfriend."

"Oh," he said sympathetically.

"I saw her. And she's really cute."

"Damn. That sucks, Bells. Maybe they're unhappy or something," he tried making her feel better.

"Maybe. Or maybe not. Whatever, I just needed to hear someone feel sorry for me. Thanks, Jasper."

He chuckled.

"I can guarantee you're prettier than she is, and I don't need to see her to know that much." Bella smiled on the other end of the line. "I gotta go, Bells. I have to go see one of my profs before my shift. But if you describe this guy to me I can kick his ass for you. Stage some sort of kidnapping and you can just have your way with him."

Bella giggled. "Thanks, but no thanks. Have a good shift."

"Talk to you later."

When Bella arrived at her dorm room door, she heard two voices coming from inside. One was definitely Rosalie, but she didn't recognize the other one. As she entered, she saw a girl there that she didn't know.

"Hey, Bella!" Rosalie greeted enthusiastically.

"Hey, Rosalie," Bella smiled.

"This is Alice," she replied, gesturing to the girl who sat on Rosalie's bed. She was very pretty, with a short dark pixie cut, and very well put-together. This girl definitely had good makeup skills, but you could tell she'd still be pretty underneath it all. "She's in my Psych class."

"Hi, Alice. Good to meet you," Bella said, extending her hand. She was suddenly feeling a little more self-conscious, being surrounded by striking girls. Especially after she had just seen Beautiful Stranger with that lucky girl who got to put her hands on him.

"You too, Bella. Rosalie's told me a lot about you. You girls are so lucky to have each other. I swear my roommate is plotting to kill me sometimes."

"Oh, no," Bella giggled.

"Yeah, she's not very social. Luckily I met Rosalie in class or else I'd be completely alone."

"Well, you're welcome here anytime," Bella told her. Rosalie smiled, happy that Bella liked her new friend.

"So Rosalie was just telling me about your cute RA," Alice cut right to the chase, and Bella laughed.

"Oh, yes. She's quite obsessed. Have you met him?"

"Nope. But I think I should. He sounds very…smart," Alice replied with a wink at Rosalie, who blushed profusely.

"What are you doing tonight, Bella?" Rosalie asked, deliberately changing the subject.

"Nothing, I just got back from studying so I'll probably lay low."

"Come out with us. We're just going to the coffee shop by the library."

_The scene of the crime_, Bella thought dryly. But she decided she needed to get her mind off of _him_.

"Sure, I'll come."

"Great! I just need to use the ladies' room, and then we'll go," Rosalie jumped up from the bed and headed into their tiny washroom.

Bella took the opportunity to get caught up with Alice on the basics. She was a student of the Columbia Business School and had moved here from a small town in Ohio, desperate for a taste of the big city.

There was a knock on the door, and Bella shot Alice a confused glance before getting up to answer it.

"Oh! Um…hello," she stuttered as she saw who was standing at their now-opened door.

"Hey! Isabella, right? I'm Emmett. But you probably already knew that," he seemed nervous, which is not at all how she remembered him from the welcome event.

"Yeah, of course I remember you. Um…what's up?"

"Well, I was just…"

Just then, the bathroom door swung open and there was Rosalie, standing four feet away from Emmett McCarty with a look of pure shock plastered on her face.

"Hey, Rosalie," he said to her. It was clear to Bella and Alice that they no longer existed in that room.

Her eyes grew wider for a fraction of a second; she had no idea that Emmett knew her name. Bella stepped awkwardly away from the door, allowing the two to continue the conversation.

"Hi," she squeaked and quickly cleared her throat. "Hi. Emmett, right?"

_Oh, real smooth, Rosalie_, Bella thought as she rolled her eyes at Alice, who stifled a giggle.

"Yeah, that's right," he sputtered as he wrung his hands together. He actually looked relieved that she knew his name. "Um, I heard you guys had a problem with your, um," he glanced around the room, looking for something to pick on. "Lighting?" he finally said.

Bella looked up at the light – which was on – and looked back at Emmett. Rosalie just stared at his face.

"Nope, lights are all working fine," Bella told him.

He ran a hand through his short dark hair and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, actually, um, I came by to maybe see if you'd like to go to dinner with me?" he looked at Rosalie hopefully.

Her face gave away her surprise, and Bella and Alice snickered behind her.

"Sure, Emmett, I'd love to," she beamed.

"Great! How about this weekend? I can come pick you up maybe Friday at seven?"

"Friday at seven is perfect."

Okay, cool. Um, I guess I'll see you later?" It came out like a question.

"Yeah, for sure. I'll see you later," she replied.

He said goodbye and Rosalie moved slowly to shut the door, as Alice and Bella called after him. "Bye, Emmett!"

Rosalie squealed and the three girls talked about what just happened the whole way to the coffee shop. It was apparently a pure coincidence, because although Rosalie had planned to put a Date-Your-RA plan in place, she was still ironing out some logistics and hadn't gotten around to it yet. Turns out he just wanted to get to know her better, which made Rosalie the happiest girl in the world.

* * *

On Saturday night, as Bella was getting ready for her shift at the pizzeria, she chatted with Alice, who was sitting on her bed. Rosalie was due to meet her there after her shift at a small fair-trade organic coffee shop off campus.

"You have beautiful bone structure," Alice mused as she watched Bella pull her hair into a ponytail.

Bella smiled. "Thanks, Alice."

"No, really. And your eyes are just…gorgeous. And don't even get me started on your skin tone. Tan is overrated. You have this awesome Snow White thing going on."

This officially made Bella snicker. "Where's all this coming from?"

"Just stating the obvious. You're really pretty." Alice stood then, and began playing with Bella's long brown hair, pulling the elastic out. She pulled Bella's hair into a few different mock hairstyles as Bella stood awkwardly at the mirror. "I want to do your hair one day."

"For what?"

"For fun, silly!

"Is that supposed to be fun for me or fun for you?"

"Both! Come on, I promise I won't let you down."

"Okay, fine. One day. Not today. I have to leave soon."

"Deal."

The extent of Bella's beauty routine consisted of a bit of mascara and sometimes lip gloss. When she got her hair cut, it was always "just a trim", and though it was mostly in a ponytail, she had begun wearing it down a bit more on the advice of Jasper's younger sister, Charlotte.

Alice, on the other hand, played with makeup for fun. The more Bella got to know Alice, the more she saw the similarities between her and Charlotte.

"_Bella, we need to talk," Charlotte said as she shut her bedroom door._

"_What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Bella's concern was evident in her voice. Although they were two years apart in age, they were very close – like sisters._

"_No, everything is not okay. You are wasting away right in front of me, Bella, and it's making me crazy!"_

"_What?" Bella did _not_ see that coming._

"_Seriously, you have so much potential, and it is driving me out of my mind that you're not taking advantage."_

"_What are you talking about? Potential for what?"_

"_Bella, you're beautiful," Charlotte told her bluntly. Bella rolled her eyes and was slightly irritated that Charlotte had made her nervous over something silly like this._

"_Charlotte, I thought there was something seriously wrong."_

"_There _is _something seriously wrong. You have no idea how many great things there are about you, and your lack of confidence in yourself is all I can see anymore."_

Bella stared blankly at her. How did she get so insightful? Wasn't she only fifteen?

"_I don't know, Charlotte. I just have…issues, I guess."_

"Yeah, you're telling me!"

"_I really do appreciate the compliments, you're very sweet. But, I don't know, I just don't feel…I don't know. Like I shouldn't stand out, you know?"_

_Charlotte sighed. "I know. But please believe me when I tell you that you have nothing to be self-conscious about. You're beautiful and smart and sweet, and I'm lucky to have you as my honorary big sister, even though you're clueless."_

_Bella laughed. "Thanks a lot!"_

_Charlotte had grown into the female form of Jasper. Very popular, very smart, and very attractive. She read beauty magazines and followed all the trends – and had fun doing it._

_I can't let you go off to college in the fall without a few tricks under your belt. Can we _please_ have a tutorial session? Hair and makeup: the basics."_

_Bella sighed. "Fine. But you only have an hour."_

_Charlotte squealed in excitement, clapping her hands together and leaping off the bed. She grabbed her phone and checked her calendar._

"How's Thursday after school?"

"_Thursday's fine," Bella mumbled reluctantly, though she thought that maybe Charlotte did have a point. _

A knock on the door interrupted Alice's focus, much to Bella's relief.

"Come in," Bella called, knowing who was dropping in.

"Hey, Bell-," Jasper cut himself off upon seeing Alice standing there. He wasn't expecting anyone to be with Bella, not to mention someone so…unbelievably hot.

"Hey, Jasper. This is Alice. Alice, this is Jasper," Bella motioned between them.

"Um, hi…Jasper. Bella, this is your, um…boyfriend?" Alice's voice became unnaturally high-pitched at the end of her question, and Bella couldn't help but smile, knowing all too well that Alice had just been bitten by the Jasper bug.

"No, no. We're just friends," she clarified.

Alice's beaming smile spread over her face. "Alice," she said again, extending her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Was Alice blushing?

"Hi, Alice. I'm Jasper."

_Haven't I already covered this? _Bella thought to herself, folding her arms across her chest and enjoying the show.

"Sorry, I didn't know Bella had company," Jasper said, glaring at Bella. She knew what he was actually thinking: _Why didn't you tell me you had such a hot friend?_

"Alice is waiting for Rosalie," Bella told him, seeing right through his question. "They met in their psych class."

"Cool. Well, I hope we'll be seeing each other around, then," Jasper said smoothly.

"I hope so," Alice replied, a flirtatious tone in her voice.

"Ready to go, Jasper?" Bella asked. They were both working that evening and would be heading to the pizzeria together.

"Uh, yeah," he replied absently. "It was, uh, really good to meet you, Alice."

"You too, Jasper," she smiled in return.

Bella told Alice that Rosalie wouldn't be long and to make herself comfortable, and then she and Jasper were off to work.

Bella waited for Jasper's typical comments that usually followed when he saw a beautiful girl. She knew by his tone that he was into Alice, and was sure she'd be hearing about it for the rest of the evening. It had happened with countless girls in high school, and again with Rosalie.

"_I think I'm falling in love_," he would joke. "_We'd make some beautiful babies together, don't you think?_"

But as they walked down the steps and out of the building, Jasper remained silent. Bella looked at him in awe as he held the door open for her and they headed outside.

_Wow_. _Jasper Whitlock: speechless_.

For the whole drive to work, Jasper remained quiet about Alice, just as he had on the way home. The only time he spoke of her was to ask one question, just as he was parking the car on campus.

"What do you think of Alice?"

Bella looked at him quizzically, unsure of his question. "I really like her. She's a great girl. I really think her and I will become good friends."

He nodded, absorbing her answer, and they both got out of the car. It wasn't until she was almost at her dorm room door that she realized why he asked that question: he was looking for her unspoken validation. Bella smiled to herself, wondering how long it would take before he worked up the nerve to ask her out.

* * *

**The next chapter is where Bella meets Edward... ; )**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

"How can you have all these amazing things to say about her but you don't want to date her?" Edward asked Jasper. He still could not understand Jasper and Bella's relationship. If anything, it only got harder to understand the more he got to know his new roommate. Jasper didn't even realize how much he talked about Bella, but he was always telling stories about things they did together and how great she is.

"It's not like that. She's Bella. She's amazing, but her and I would never work like that."

"And she's good-looking?" Jasper nodded. "And you've never had a better friendship with anyone in your life?"

"Nope. She's the best."

Edward shook his head. "I don't get it."

Jasper laughed. "No one does."

Another week had gone by and Edward and Bella had yet to cross paths, though that was likely because Jasper had been spending an awful lot of time in Bella's dorm, hoping for another glimpse of Alice. He only got one – on Thursday afternoon – but it was everything he had dreamed it would be. His motives for always suggesting they meet at her dorm did not go unnoticed by Bella, though she kept quiet so as not to embarrass him.

A knock at the door interrupted the roommates from their conversation. "Come in," Jasper called to his expected guest.

"Hey, Jasper," Bella said coolly as she let herself in, stopping dead in her tracks when she locked eyes with Edward. She hadn't expected Jasper's roommate to be around, and her breath hitched when she realized it was _him_. "Oh! I…um…"

She had nothing to say. Nothing at all. The pieces of the puzzle clicked together quickly, and she was just plain dumbfounded. Beautiful Stranger was Edward, and Edward was Jasper's roommate.

"Bells, this is Edward," Jasper introduced. "Edward, this is my Bella," he finished, walking over to Bella and proudly wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "See? You both exist!" Jasper teased enthusiastically, a little disappointed that no one laughed at his joke.

Bella stood motionless, staring slack-jawed at Edward.

"You're…um…Ed-Edward," she stammered, pointing loosely in his direction.

"Uh…yeah. And you're…Bella," he replied quietly.

The way her name rolled off his tongue sent a gust of breath through her parted lips. From now on, she would only think her name was worth hearing if it came out of Edward's mouth.

_Bella_. _This is Bella_. The girl Edward could not get off of his mind. The girl he had heard such amazing things about from his roommate. And now he finds out that they are the same person. His life suddenly got unbelievably complicated. Bumping into Bella on campus every now and then was one thing, but having her as a prominent fixture in his roommate's life would be sure to cause problems.

Bella somewhat registered that he was uncomfortable too, and she took some sort of comfort in this. The majority of her thoughts were focused on the way his green eyes were locked on hers, his jaw tensing with his uneasiness as he ran a hand through his thick bronze-coloured hair that was usually splayed across his forehead. Her eyes followed the motion.

Jasper's eyes darted back and forth between them. "Do you guys know each other?"

It was nearly impossible to ignore the tension that filled the room. Bella wasn't sure how to answer the question, so she waited a beat, hoping Edward would fill the silence.

Edward cleared his throat before answering. "Um, yeah, actually. Well, kind of. We've seen each other a few times around campus."

Though she wasn't sure why, his answer stung her a little bit. He made it sound so insignificant, and their meetings meant much more to her. She looked down at her hands.

"Oh, cool! What a small world. Hey, Bella, is Alice going to be there tonight?" Jasper asked as he rummaged through a pile of clothes on his bed to find a sweater. He was becoming more transparent with his Alice questions lately, but Bella was much too preoccupied to care about his infatuation.

"Uh, yeah, she said she'll meet us after her group project meeting."

Bella ventured a glance at Edward just then, while Jasper was occupied. He was looking right at her. Right into her eyes. His eyebrows tensed, making a crease in his forehead. She noticed the rise and fall of his chest with the deep breath that he took. Though they had spoken before and stood close to one another as they did so, Bella felt like they had never been this close to each other before. Now she knew his name, and he knew hers. He was Jasper's roommate. They were officially acquaintances. And he had a girlfriend.

"Knock, knock," came a very chipper, very feminine voice from the open doorway.

Bella turned suddenly to see who it was, only to realize that she recognized this face. Her heart sank. It was the girl from the library.

"Hey, Kate," Jasper called as he headed into the washroom.

"Hey, Jasper," she replied, and walked past Bella to reach Edward. _Mine_, Bella thought to herself. Was she referring to Jasper or Edward? She wasn't entirely sure, but Kate greeted Jasper as though she'd known him for years and it drove her crazy.

"Hey you," she said sweetly to Edward and leaned up to plant a gentle kiss on his mouth. He turned his face to meet hers but did not shift his stance.

_Mine_. The thought came back, unwelcome. Because Edward wasn't hers. He was Kate's.

"Hi, I'm Katie," she smiled, turning to Bella and extending her hand.

Bella took it on impulse and forced a smile. "I'm Bella," she replied simply.

"Oh, Bella! Jasper's told us so much about you," she gushed. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

Bella blushed, and involuntarily glanced back at Edward. His eyes were cast downward, and he almost looked embarrassed. Just then, Jasper emerged from the washroom.

"Oh, is that right? He hasn't mentioned you," Bella said through her smiling teeth as she glared her best friend down. She was too keyed up to even care if she just said something rude.

"Hey, I don't talk about other guys' girlfriends," Jasper said in defense. Kate giggled.

"Are you ready to go, Edward?" Kate asked, turning herself to face her boyfriend, as he snapped out of his reverie and turned towards her as well. She held both his hands as she spoke to him. Bella's eyes lingered there for barely a moment before turning her attention back to Jasper.

_What's your problem?_ He mouthed to her.

_Beautiful Stranger_, she mouthed back.

_What?_

_Edward, _she clarified. Jasper nodded. _He's the guy_.

Jasper's face went blank as realization hit him. Bella nodded at him dryly.

"Well, we'd better head out," Kate said. Bella and Jasper straightened up immediately and returned their focus to the conversation.

"You guys should meet us all later," Jasper said hastily.

Bella's eyes flashed uneasily to Jasper. In true Jasper fashion, he wanted everyone to feel included.

"Um, yeah, maybe," Edward said reluctantly, peeking briefly at Bella once more.

"Where are you guys going?" Kate asked, much more eager.

"Quinn's," Jasper replied, a little less enthusiastically.

"Yeah, maybe we'll meet you there later," Kate said happily. She took Edward's hand and led him towards the door, as she had that day in the library.

Edward's eyes trailed on Bella's as he walked by her. Just as he passed her, Bella inhaled his air, basking in his heavenly smell.

She swivelled towards to door only to see Edward's heel disappear into the hallway. Had she even said goodbye? She couldn't remember.

"Damn," Jasper muttered from somewhere beside her.

"I know," she replied quietly.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't know."

"I know. How could you know? _I _didn't even know."

She was vaguely aware that he was now standing next to her.

"You really are prettier, you know."

Bella looked at Jasper then and smiled. "Thanks," she said dryly. He smiled back and put an arm around her shoulders as they walked out to meet their friends.

* * *

The bar was loud and crowded, as it usually was on Saturday nights. Jasper, Bella, Alice, Rosalie and Emmett were sitting in a large booth, scanning the menus.

"Split a plate of nachos?" Jasper asked, and everyone agreed.

"No jalapenos," Alice chimed in. She looked down suddenly, embarrassed about the demand she had just shouted.

Jasper smiled at her. "No jalapenos," he agreed. She blushed and fidgeted with her napkin.

Quinn's was a dive by every definition of the word, and it was always packed, no matter what day of the week you would go.

When the server came by to take orders, Rosalie went ahead and asked for the nachos. Bella turned to Jasper suddenly and he looked at her curiously.

"He never mentioned me once," she stated bluntly. It wasn't a question.

Jasper shook his head, his face conveying his sympathy. She nodded in return.

"He has a girlfriend, Bella," Jasper began, but they were interrupted by the server asking for their drink orders.

"She'll have a Coke and I'll have a root beer," Jasper said distractedly, still focused on his discussion with Bella.

Alice glanced warily between Jasper and Bella.

"I'll be right back," Bella said, rising from her seat. "I need to hit the ladies'."

"I'll come too!" Alice chimed in.

Rosalie followed as well, feeling compelled to stick with the girls. Plus, given Alice's eagerness to join Bella, she was sure this would be no ordinary trip to the bathroom.

Once the swinging door shut behind them, Alice spoke right away for fear of losing her nerve.

"Bella, are you _sure_ there's nothing going on with you and Jasper?" Alice's voice was low and desperate, and her face was crumpled into a look of concern.

"What?" Though it was a natural question for outsiders to ask, it shocked Bella profoundly to hear Alice ask such a thing, especially knowing how enamoured Jasper was with her. "Of course not, Alice. Why would you ask that?" Her voice took on a concerned quality. She would never want Alice to feel like she couldn't trust her.

Alice shrugged. "I don't know. You guys just seem so…_together_. He ordered your drink for you, Bella."

"That didn't mean anything, I swear. I just _always_ order a Coke, and he _always_ orders a root beer. Since we were kids. I promise."

"Have you guys ever slept together?" Alice asked, arching an eyebrow, as though this was a perfectly logical question to ask.

"What? No!" Bella squealed.

Rosalie stood dumbfounded by the sinks, watching them.

Alice sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry. I trust you. I just…_really_ like him. And I really like you, and I didn't want this whole situation to turn ugly, so I wanted to ask you to get it out of the way."

Bella sighed. Her friendship with Jasper had been misunderstood from the time they started puberty.

"Alice, I understand what my friendship with Jasper looks like. I do. You're not the first girl to be weird about it. Although, the others would just sit back and hate me instead of asking me about it," she added as a side thought. "Jasper and I…we met when we were eight. He was new and I was nice, and then we just clicked. He's my best friend in the whole world. I've never been able to talk to people. I'm awkward. He's always been the one person I'm comfortable around. And yes, we really do have a strong friendship. But I promise you, there is _nothing_ to be worried about. _Nothing_. In fact," Bella paused taking a deep breath to clear her thoughts. _Might as well_, she thought. She shook her head and explained.

"I like someone," Bella told them.

"Who?" Rosalie interjected.

"A guy. He's…someone I've seen a few times on campus," Bella sneered at herself, using Edward's earlier explanation. "We've talked a few times. I know it sounds like absolutely nothing, but I just can't explain it. I know it sounds stupid, but I just get really excited every time I see him."

Bella struggled to find the words.

"I know," Alice nodded. "Jasper does that to me. He's just got such a great _voice_."

Bella smiled and contained her laughter, remembering her conversation with Jasper about how the Beautiful Stranger had a great voice. He had teased her. And now the Beautiful Stranger was Edward and it wasn't so funny anymore.

"I could listen to Emmett talk for hours," Rosalie mused. "So do you know his name?"

"Yes," Bella said bitterly. "As of tonight, right before we came here. It's Jasper's roommate, Edward."

"Jasper's roommate? That's perfect!" Alice shrieked.

"No, _not_ perfect. He has a girlfriend," Bella pouted.

Alice and Rosalie slumped like punctured balloons as their excitement was deflated.

"Jeez, Bella. I'm sorry," Rosalie sympathized.

Bella shrugged. "Whatever, it's not like there's anything I can do about it. Anyways, so there. Now you know. Jasper and I are purely platonic."

"What if Jasper is into you and you just don't know it?" Alice asked quietly.

Bella laughed heartily. "Because I know. And he's _not_."

"How could you possibly know for sure?" Alice crossed her arms, in mock embarrassment that Bella would laugh at her question.

"Because we kissed when we were ten, and I can guarantee that it will _never _happen again," Bella laughed. _And he is _really_ into you, _she thought. But she refused to be the one to tell Alice that. That had to come from Jasper.

"_Bella, do you think it's weird to be friends with me?"  
_

"_No," she replied with a frown. "Do you think it's weird to be friends with _me_?"_

"_No. I was just wondering."_

"_Why would you wonder something like that?"_

"_Well, I don't know. Are we supposed to, like…_like_ each other or something?" he asked her._

"_What are you talking about? We do like each other. Don't we?" her voice lost its confidence as she continued. Was he trying to tell her he didn't want to be friends anymore?  
_

"_Yeah, but like, I don't know. You're a girl and I'm a boy. Are we supposed to be…I don't know…boyfriend and girlfriend or something?"_

_Bella was taken aback. She had never thought about it before. Sure, she heard the other kids teasing them about how they'd get married and have each other's babies, but she never thought to take any of them seriously._

"_Oh. I don't know," she answered thoughtfully._

"_Do you want to…maybe…try?" he asked tentatively as he scrunched his nose._

"_I…guess."_

"_Okay."_

"_So what do we do now? Hold hands or something?" She had no idea how this girlfriend/boyfriend thing worked._

"_I think so. Yeah, let's do that." _

_So they sat together and held hands, although neither one of them really saw the point._

"_That's it? Does this mean you're my boyfriend?" Bella asked after a minute, gesturing to their joined hands._

"_I'm not sure. I guess. Maybe?"_

"_Hm." That answer didn't satisfy her curiosity, but she accepted it, since she had nothing else to offer._

_Another minute went by before he spoke again. "Maybe we should kiss."_

"_What?" _

"_Well isn't that what couples do? I don't know!"_

"_Oh. I guess that's what couples do." _

"_Okay, so let's try it." They repositioned themselves so that they were facing one another with legs crossed, but still awkwardly holding hands in the middle. _So strange_, she thought._

"_Have you ever done this before?" she asked him._

_"Nope. You?"_

"_Nope."_

_They stared at each other for a few more seconds before he made the first move. He leaned in slowly, and she mirrored the motion, already unsure of whether or not she was doing it properly. _

_Their lips met, each pursed into a tight pucker, both sets of eyes still open. It suddenly occurred to Bella that her eyes should be closed, so she closed them and he did the same. And their lips were still tightly pursed, neither of them knowing how to kiss._

_There they sat, lips touching and eyes closed for half a minute, before Bella popped one of her eyes open to see what Jasper was doing. She found that his eyes were still closed. _

_Suddenly Bella broke their kiss. "Are we supposed to feel like, some sort of spark or something?" she asked._

"I don't know. Maybe. Did you feel one?" he asked shyly, hoping her answer would be the same as his.

"_No," she said quietly, not wanting to hurt his feelings._

_His face lit up with a wide grin. "Me neither."_

_She giggled. "Can we go back to being friends now? That was too weird."_

"_Totally." _

_And so they shook hands and leaned back against the big tree, returning to their homework._

"_We can get married later if we want," Bella told him. "Right now let's just be friends."_

_"Deal."_

In the women's washroom, Bella continued the task she set out to do in the first place, pleased that Alice finally understood that Jasper was free for the taking. When she came out of the bathroom stall, Rosalie was leaning against the sink.

"I hope you're right about Jasper not being into you."

"I am. One hundred and fifty percent sure," Bella replied, articulating each word. "In fact," Bella smiled as she dried her hands. "I happen to know that Jasper is very smitten with one Alice Brandon."

"Really?" Rosalie asked, wide-eyed and pleased. "Wow, he's so blasé, I would never have been able to tell."

"Are you _serious_? The guy is _not _himself. He's tongue-tied! You should have seen him when they first met, it was quite the spectacle," Bella giggled.

"Well, you know him better than anyone, I guess I'll have to take your word for it," Rosalie said, as she linked arms with Bella and they headed back to the table.

Bella noticed how cozy Jasper and Alice looked, leaning into each other as they spoke, both with big smiles on their faces. Bella was happy that Alice asked her up front about what was bothering her. _A true friend_, she thought to herself.

Their food arrived not long after the girls' return, and laughter and conversation flowed through the evening. Bella's eyes wandered to the door every time she heard the chime. Still no Edward.

"Anyone want a drink refill?" she asked as she stood. They all took Bella up on her offer.

"I'll help," Jasper offered, rising to join her.

As they stood at the bar waiting for their drinks, Jasper took the opportunity to continue their earlier conversation and dove right in.

"Bella, he's been with Kate since the tenth grade."

"Really? That long?"

Jasper nodded.

Bella shook her head in disappointment. "Why do I care this much, Jasper? It's not like I know anything about him."

"You can't help who you like."

"I know. But in _this_ case, it's so wrong. He's your _roommate_. I will see him all the time. I need to just…turn it off."

"Good luck with that," Jasper replied sarcastically.

After a beat, Jasper used Bella's silence as an opportunity to explain. "He never mentioned you, Bella, because of Kate. Even if he thinks of you all day and all night, he's been with her for years. He only learned your name _today_. After being with her for that long, he can't just drop her. He can't just start showing interest in a new girl."

"I _know_, Jasper," she snapped irritably.

"Whoa, I'm just trying to help! Don't take it out on me," he retorted in a similar tone.

"I know," she sighed. "Sorry. It's not even a big deal. I'm a stranger to him, and he's had a strong relationship with Kate for so long. I _shouldn't_ mean anything to him. If I were Kate…that would be just…awful." She cringed at her words, pained that she wasn't Kate, pained that she knew he shouldn't leave her.

"You're right. You would hate you if you were Kate," he smirked.

She nodded, knowing full well that she needed to lock her feelings for Edward into a drawer and keep them there forever.

The door chimed again and she reflexively glanced over. No Edward.

Much to Bella's disappointment _and_ relief, Edward never did walk through the door that evening.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

"Hey, Bells. Listen, I am running majorly late right now. Can you just drop it by real quick?" Jasper asked of the textbook he needed for his early class the following morning, which he had left at Bella's while they were studying the day before.

It was Monday afternoon, two days after the awkward dorm room run-in with Edward, and Jasper was heading to his shift at the pizzeria.

"Um…I…guess I can bring it by," she stammered.

Jasper sighed on the other end. "He's not here, Bella. I promise."

She sighed right back. "Fine. I'll be there in five."

Bella grabbed the textbook from her desk and headed out the door.

She grew more and more nervous with each step she took, even though she knew Edward wouldn't be there with Jasper. The thought of being anywhere near him – or even just near his things – made her edgy. He had to know she was into him, it was so obvious. She really didn't want to be the pathetic girl who was lusting after someone else's boyfriend. Someone else's very _serious_ boyfriend.

Bella walked briskly to Jasper's building, almost as though she was trying to get the task over and done with as quickly as possible so as not to run into Edward. She kept her eyes on the ground in front of her so that she didn't trip on anything, clutching the textbook tight to her chest.

As she reached out to grab the door handle of the building, another hand reached out at the same time, bumping hers. She glanced up to mutter an apology when she noticed that it was Edward, looking up at her from a piece of paper he was intently reading. His eyebrows had been creased as he studied the document, and immediately smoothed out upon spotting Bella.

They both froze for a second, unsure of how to proceed.

"Hey, Bella," Edward spoke first, smiling awkwardly.

"Hi," she replied quietly, and then cleared her throat. "I'm, um, just bringing back Jasper's textbook. He left it at my place."

He nodded at her as though she was saying something profound, those green eyes locked once more on her brown ones.

As if he suddenly realized where they were and what they were doing, he moved briskly to open the door for her.

"After you," he said.

She smiled warily, her heart pounding. "Thanks." _Out of all the roommates in all the world, this guy had to be Jasper's._

They began the trek up the stairs to the third floor dorm room. The awkward silence was deafening as the echoes of their footsteps bounced around them, neither one of them knowing what to say.

"So, um, did you have fun on Saturday?" Edward asked, desperate to say _anything_.

"Yeah, it was fun. How about you guys?" She regretted her counter-question instantly, not wanting to know one minute detail of anything he and Kate would have done together on Saturday night.

"Yeah. Uh, we just went to a movie."

"Cool."

"Sorry we didn't meet you guys, we just turned in early."

"No problem. Another time." _They_ turned in early. Together? The thought was nauseating.

They walked the rest of the way in difficult silence. Once they finally reached the door to the dorm, Edward turned to face Bella. _Those eyes…_

"Bella," he said simply. Softly.

She looked up at him with wide eyes. _Stop, Edward. Stop doing this to me._

"Yeah?" she whispered after he didn't continue. _I know, you have a girlfriend. You don't need to remind me. Please don't remind me._

His mouth opened a fraction and then closed again. He ran his hand through his hair and tried again. He slid his glasses a little higher on his nose. And then finally, he seemed to have found his words.

But the door flew open just then, and a startled Jasper took in the scene before him. His eyes landed on Bella and seemed to evaluate her expression.

"You're back early," he said to Edward, clearly trying to convey to Bella that he had no idea they would run into each other.

"Class got out early," Edward explained simply.

Jasper nodded, and then turned to Bella. "I…I was just going to meet you downstairs. So that you wouldn't have to come all the way up," he explained flatly, feeling sorry that he told Bella she wouldn't have to see Edward today.

"Yeah. Um, here's your textbook. I'll catch you later," she stammered, handing the book to Jasper. Her eyes flashed quickly to Edward but shied away when she saw him looking back at her. "Bye," she said to him, and darted out of the building as quickly as she could before either of them could say another word.

Jasper caught up with her halfway down the staircase. She heard him calling after her a few seconds before he appeared beside her.

"Bella, I am _so_ sorry. I swear he never gets back from that class this early. I had no idea, I promise."

"I know. It's fine," she said brusquely. They stopped on the landing and faced one another. "I can't avoid him forever, right?" she shrugged.

Jasper shook his head lamely, feeling guilty nonetheless.

"Jasper. It's fine. Really," she told him, knowing he felt genuinely horrible. "Come on, you're going to be late. Nick _hates_ when people are late."

She grabbed his arm and pulled him down the rest of the steps.

When Bella arrived back in her room, she shut the door behind her and slumped against it.

_What was he going to say?_It had been plaguing her since Jasper flung that door open, effectively cutting Edward off. He had something to say. _What was it?_

She clearly wouldn't be getting her answer anytime soon, so she proceeded with her day, immersing herself into her readings and hoped it would take her mind off of Edward.

It obviously didn't.

* * *

Almost two full weeks had passed before Bella saw Edward again. Every minute of every day she would hope to run into him around campus like they used to, or even outside their dorm buildings or when she would stop in to see Jasper. Another part of her was relieved for the separation, though if she was being honest, she would jump at the chance to be near him, even if it _was_ torture.

On her Saturday night off, Bella headed to Quinn's to meet up with Alice, Rosalie and Emmett. Jasper was working that night, so the group would be incomplete. She made her way through the crowd, looking around for her friends.

"Bella," a voice called over the music. She turned towards the voice and had to choke back her stomach which had made its way into her throat. For a brief instant, she wondered how it was possible for someone's heart to start pounding so hard, so quickly. _That can't be healthy_.

Edward was smiling and waving her over. She smiled back at him, wondering how the intensity of their last meeting seemed to have been forgotten, and inched her way through the thick crowd towards him.

"Hey, I didn't know you'd be here," she said lightly, hoping her voice didn't sound as shaky as she thought it did.

"I came with a couple of guys from my class," he told her, leaning in a little closer than normal so that he could be heard above the music.

That's when she realized how the air between them had taken a turn; Edward was already a few drinks into his evening.

"Are you drunk, mister?" she asked playfully. His intoxication made her feel much more relaxed.

He laughed. "No, but I'm definitely not sober."

She laughed along with him.

The sound of her name being called drew her attention away as she turned to the familiar female voices. Alice and Rosalie were standing by the pool tables, waving at her. She waved back and signaled that she would be a minute.

"Meeting my friends," she told him, motioning to where the girls had just been waving. He nodded, still smiling down at her. "Is, um, is Katie here?"

Bella always felt that it was only appropriate to use the name that was used upon introduction, and since Kate had referred to herself as _Katie_, she begrudgingly called the girl she envied by her nickname.

The smile on Edward's face faltered for a fraction of a second before answering. "Um, she's meeting me here later, I think."

"Oh, cool," Bella replied lamely. "Well, I guess I should head over there."

"Sure. I'll see you later, I guess."

_And we're back to awkward_, Bella thought as she turned to make her way over to her friends.

Bella didn't know that the renewed awkwardness stemmed from her question about Edward's girlfriend, and Edward couldn't help but feel as though Bella was trying to remind him that he was taken, and that he shouldn't be captivated with her the way he was.

The truth was that he was completely taken with her, and didn't understand how that had even happened. Edward had been with Kate since their sophomore year in high school. They were each other's' first date, first kiss, first love, first _everything_. They loved each other.

There had always been other girls who could have diverted his attention from the girl he had committed to, but none ever had. There was never a doubt in Edward's mind that he and Kate would be together until the day they died, right up until the very first time he bumped into Bella on campus during the first week of college.

He couldn't pinpoint what it was that had drawn him in, but he could only suspect that it was a combination of her unassuming beauty, paired with all of the insight he had into her character, courtesy of Jasper. And every time he spoke with her, he fell harder and faster.

Kate was attractive, of that Edward had never had any doubt. The worked together, they made sense. But when Edward first laid eyes on Bella, it was as though he was seeing beauty for the first time. Her goodness was perceptible just by looking into her eyes. She emanated kindness, sweetness and warmth. It was like she was familiar to him, like there was some sort of cord tethering them together. He was drawn to her and he didn't know why.

It killed him. It confused him. It made him feel guilty, even though he did nothing wrong. How could he feel something for someone he had just met? How could his thoughts of Bella outnumber the thoughts he'd had of his own girlfriend?

He struggled on a daily basis with his heart and his head. He would try to reason with himself that he only _thought_ he had feelings for Bella, because she was a new girl in a new place, and he'd been with the same person for so long that it was only natural to wonder what it would be like to be with someone else.

But then he would inadvertently hear Jasper say her name over the phone or see the back of a girl with long brown hair, and his adrenaline would kick into high gear at the prospect of seeing her or hearing her voice.

His inner battle raged on as he watched her walk over to the pool tables to meet her friends. Only this time it seemed louder and stronger, as his lowered inhibitions allowed him to appreciate her on a much less uptight level.

He finally turned his attention back to his friends when Bella leaned in to give the black-haired girl a hug.

"Hey, girl! Who was that guy you were talking to? Jasper texted and said he'll meet us here in about an hour, after he gets off work," Alice rambled.

"Cool," she replied as enthusiastically as possible. "Hey, Rosalie. Hey, Emmett," she turned her attention to the pool table, purposely dodging the question about the guy she was just talking to. "Who's winning?"

"Me, obviously," Rosalie said with a smirk.

Emmett rolled his eyes. "If I had cleavage, _you'd _be distracted, and _I'd_ be the one winning."

Bella laughed, appreciating the distraction her friends gave her from the boy across the room. "That's low, Rosalie."

"It works, clearly," she said, smiling sweetly.

The foursome started another game of pool, and Jasper arrived just over an hour later, as promised. Alice lit up when she spotted him walking towards them, not noticing someone else following close behind.

Jasper's gaze drifted from Alice to Bella for a brief moment – just long enough to convey his apology for the situation that was about to unfold.

Alice was the first to green Jasper, as she approached him with a sweet smile on her face. He looked equally as delighted to see her, and Bella shook her head at them, wondering when on Earth Jasper would just ask her out already.

"Hi, I'm Alice," she said, extending her hand towards Edward.

"Edward. Nice to meet you," he replied as they shook.

Bella suddenly felt an elbow to her ribcage and looked up suddenly to see Rosalie standing beside her. She kept her eyes on Bella but raised her eyebrows suggestively towards Edward. Bella glared back at her, silently begging her not to make a scene.

"Edward," Alice repeated, her voice dripping in recognition. "I've heard a lot about you," she told him.

"Oh!" Edward seemed surprised. "Only good things, I hope," he laughed nervously.

Alice's friendly smile erased all signs of suspicion. "Only good things," she confirmed. And then she turned around to take her place beside Bella, while looking her right in the eyes and mouthed _Oh my God_.

Rosalie stepped forward with her introduction, and Emmett followed suit.

Edward liked the group instantly, falling into an easy conversation with them all and feeling more than welcome.

"Sorry, Bells," Jasper said quietly to Bella. "His friends were leaving, I couldn't _not_ ask him to stay."

"It's fine, Jasper," she told him honestly. Actually, she was starting to really _want_ to be around him, plain and simple. Girlfriend or not, being around him was just something that made her feel good.

A whole ten minutes had passed before Edward had the chance to talk to Bella after small talk was made with Emmett, Rosalie and Alice. He eyed her subtly as she leaned against her pool cue, waiting for her turn. Though he knew it was a bad idea to fall into a comfortable friendship with this group given his obvious attraction to Bella, he was grateful for the door that was opening for him to be around her more and more.

He noticed that the glass she was holding was almost empty, and seized the opportunity.

"Going to the bar, want anything?" he interrupted Jasper and Alice as they talked intimately off to the side of the group.

"No, thanks," they replied simultaneously, barely looking away from one another to glance in Edward's direction.

"Any idea what Bella was drinking?"

"Yeah, just a Coke," Alice told him, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Thanks," Edward replied and, after noting that, thankfully, Emmett and Rosalie's drinks were practically full, headed to the bar for their two drinks.

"He has a thing for her," Alice told Jasper bluntly when Edward was out of earshot.

"What? How do you know?"

"Oh, come on. It's obvious."

"He has a girlfriend, Alice. A very _serious_ girlfriend."

"So?"

"So he can't have a _thing_ for Bella."

"Sure, he can, Jasper. He just needs to make the right choices."

Jasper nodded, because Alice was right. He wasn't oblivious to the tension that surrounded them every time Bella and Edward were within fifty feet of one another. But his main priority was Bella, and he would be damned before he let her get hurt. And from what had been happening between them since school started, it was clear that she was headed in that direction.

Edward returned a few minutes later with his and Bella's drinks in hand. He waited until Bella had finished her turn at the pool table before handing her the Coke.

"Hey, I got you a refill," he smiled, handing her the glass.

"Thanks," she replied, a tentative smile forming on her lips. "Wait a second, how do I know you didn't slip something in this?" she joked.

"Well, you don't. I suppose you'll just have to trust me," he teased back, cocking an eyebrow. "So, who's winning?"

"Ugh. They are," Bella replied, gesturing towards the beautiful couple she was playing with. "My teammate ditched me to talk to that douchebag over there."

Edward laughed, still not used to the comfortable way that Bella and Jasper would joke with one another. After overhearing Bella's comment, Jasper lifted his hand to give her the finger, though still not taking his eyes off Alice.

"Your turn, Bells," Emmett taunted. Bella groaned.

"I'll play with you," Edward offered.

Bella's wide smile momentarily paralyzed him, and his eyes drank in that look on her face, as if memorizing it for later.

She handed him the pool cue and motioned with her arm for him to take the floor. The game suddenly got interesting, with Edward evening out the playing field.

Once the game was over, Emmett challenged them to a re-match, which everyone readily accepted while Jasper and Alice were still caught up in their own little bubble.

As Edward was taking his shot in the middle of the game, his gaze wavered to a spot near the door of the bar, and he faltered, missing the point for his team.

"Ouch! What happened there, Cullen?" Bella teased her teammate.

Edward half-smiled, his eyes still fixated on that one spot, and he seemed nervous. Bella followed his gaze and saw in an instant what he was looking it – or rather, _who_ he was looking at.

Kate stood near the door, scanning the room for Edward. Upon seeing him, she smiled brightly and waved enthusiastically before making her way over.

Bella's mood suddenly took a nosedive, being sobered back into the realization that getting closer to Edward was useless.

"You're still here," Kate exclaimed as she rushed to give Edward a kiss.

"Yeah, I ran into Jasper as I was leaving and he invited me to hang out with his friends. You know Bella," he motioned towards her, and they locked eyes for a brief moment before Bella turned away.

"Hi, Katie. It's good to see you again," she said, feigning enthusiasm.

"You too, Bella," Kate smiled back.

"And this is Alice, Rosalie and Emmett," Edward continued with the introductions.

"Who's playing pool?" Kate asked, not wanting to interrupt everyone's fun.

"Um, Emmett and Rosalie versus me and Bella," Edward told her.

"Oh, fun! Mind if I watch?"

Bella was struck with a pang of guilt at Kate's interest in their friends, and the fact that Kate never suspected anything between her and Edward. She clearly couldn't tell that Bella had a major crush on her boyfriend, and Bella was glad for that fact. _This is wrong, Bella_, she kept telling herself.

The joking and laughter subsided noticeably between Edward and Bella, as they were each trying to keep somewhat of a distance from one another, both for different reasons and one that was the same: they each didn't want to let on to Kate about their true feelings.

About an hour later, the group decided to call it a night and go their separate ways. As they walked down the sidewalk towards their dorms, Bella overheard the conversation between Kate and Edward a few steps ahead of her.

"Want to stay over tonight?" Kate was asking him.

Bella's breathing ceased for a moment, waiting to hear his reply, and trying desperately to shake off the disappointment she was anticipating.

"Um, actually, I have to wake up early tomorrow to study for a midterm. Another time?"

Relief replaced the tension that Bella had been feeling, although she knew she had no right to care this much about what Edward did with his time, with his girlfriend.

"Alright, no problem," Kate replied cheerily, leaning into him as they walked.

_She loves him so much_, Bella thought to herself. Kate seemed so secure in her relationship with Edward that it didn't faze her in the least to have her offer turned down. The guilt returned at full force.

They reached Alice's dorm first, then Kate's, and then Jasper, Bella, Edward, Rosalie and Emmett walked a few more minutes to their dorms, said their goodnights and went their separate ways.

"So. That's the infamous Edward," Rosalie stated once the girls were getting themselves ready for bed. Bella had been unusually quiet after Kate showed up and Rosalie was growing more and more concerned.

Bella nodded.

"He's cute. And really nice, too," Rosalie noted.

Bella nodded again.

"Kate seems…"

"Really nice," Bella interrupted, looking Rosalie square in the eyes. "She is really, really nice. And it drives me nuts, and I kind of hate her for it."

Rosalie snickered. "I know. This would all be so much easier if she was a major bitch."

Bella groaned. "I really don't want to get to know her, Rosalie. I bet I'd love her. Under any other circumstance, I bet her and I would be great friends. But, I just…seeing them together is agony. I hate that she met him first."

Rosalie drew Bella into a hug. "Consider this your right of passage. Every girl has to get screwed over by a guy she likes at least once in her life."

"This is so _not _my first time getting screwed over by a guy," Bella mumbled as she rested her chin on Rosalie's shoulder.

.

"_Bella, I don't think we should see each other anymore," he told her._

"_Oh. Um…okay. How come? Was it something I did?" Bella wasn't surprised that this wasn't going to end well. The evening had barely begun, and she was 99 percent sure she never wanted to go on another date with Mike Newton again._

"_More like something you didn't do." His voice was escalating, and this was making Bella nervous. Would he really make a scene right now because she wouldn't let him feel her up?_

"_What are you talking about?" she whispered, feeling tenser by the second. If she was being honest, she knew she had made a mistake in going out with him in the first place. She had really liked him, thinking he was different. Halfway through their date it was clear to her that he was not the person she thought he was. What she didn't know was that he'd try something, and that he'd pull this – right in the middle of the hallway at lunch time, with everyone around._

"_Oh, I think you know what I'm talking about." She noticed him glancing over at his friends just then, and they were snickering in the corner. So, this is for them then, she thought. Asshole._

_Jasper then rounded the corner to meet her at her locker, like he did every day at lunch time. His face looked confused as he assessed the situation._

"_Alright, well, that's too bad. No hard feelings," she said quickly and began turning back to her open locker, hoping to end the conversation before he could embarrass her further. His loser friends obviously knew what happened on the date. _

_Much to her dismay, he continued, and Jasper's mood shifted quickly from curiosity to anger as he approached and heard Mike Newton's next words._

"_No one's ever going to like you if you're such a prude, you know. I was trying to help you out, so you could get some experience. You're not even hot." Ouch. That stung. Bad. Tears sprang to her eyes and she desperately tried to fight them back. "You needed me. No one else would have taken pity on you like I did."_

_She stood there, completely stunned into silence as he talked at her. How could he do this to me, in front of everyone? She stared down at the floor beneath her, wishing that he would disappear or that the ground would open up and swallow her – she would take either one gladly. The hallway had become eerily quiet, and she didn't need to look around to know that everyone was listening. _

"_What the fuck, Newton?" Jasper's harsh voice cut through the air like a knife as he grabbed Mike's shoulder, and Bella's eyes shot up, startled. She didn't even know he was there. Great, he heard too._

_Mike jumped at the unexpected contact. "Whoa, relax, Jasper," he stammered defensively as if bracing himself for a fight.  
_

"_Fuck you, asshole," Jasper muttered under his breath as he slid quickly past Mike and stood directly at Bella's side. She had turned back to bury her face in her locker when Jasper appeared, in order to hide away from all the gaping faces around them. Her hands fumbled to hang up her book bag, and Jasper proceeded to grab it out of her hands, hung it up for her in one swift motion and shut her locker door as quickly as possible. He led her away from the crowd hastily._

"_You're a lousy kisser too," Mike called after them._

_What Jasper really wanted was to hit Mike so hard in the face that his black eye would last until graduation. That impulse pounded harder as he felt Bella flinching by his side at Mike's words, but he knew that would only draw more attention to them and Bella would have hated that more than anything._

_He led her to a seldom-used stairwell, and they ducked underneath the staircase._

_Not a moment too soon, Bella burst into tears as she slid down the wall and sat curled up on the ground. Jasper immediately sat beside her and put an arm around her, pulling her close._

_He let her cry for ten solid minutes, and when she began to calm down, he spoke._

"_That guy's a loser, Bella."_

"_No, Jasper, I'm a loser. I don't even know why you hang out with me." Her body shook with each breath she took._

"_Don't talk like that, Bella. You're awesome. He was obviously trying to impress Tyler and those idiots. Don't listen to him. Newton's a loser. And an asshole too, apparently. He knows you're too good for him. He's insecure."_

"_Whatever. I can't believe he did that," she said, dropping her head into her hands._

"_What did he do to you on your date?" Jasper asked apprehensively. He needed to know, though he didn't really want to. She hadn't told him this part, she only told him that she didn't really like Mike Newton and she didn't think he liked her back.  
_

_She shrugged. "He tried to go up my shirt. But I wouldn't let him." Her voice was barely above a whisper._

"_Why didn't you tell me?"_

"_Because I was embarrassed. I thought you'd either think I was a prude for not letting him, or that I was a slut for letting him think he could try that."_

_Jasper laughed. "No way, I'm proud of you! You stood your ground, Bella, and that's awesome. That guy's a prick. I'll totally kick his ass if you want, and I'm not even kidding."_

"_No, thanks," she sniffed, though she smiled a little. "I imagine that would only make things worse."_

"_Yeah, probably. But it would feel good," he nudged her._

_She leaned her head on his shoulder, trying to focus on slowing her breathing and calming herself down._

"_I hope you know that he doesn't know what he's talking about," Jasper told her. "Don't listen to him, okay? You're perfect the way you are."_

"_Right," she mumbled. Jasper shook his head in exasperation. She was oblivious to her real value._

_They sat there for the remainder of their lunch hour and Bella dreaded each passing second, as it meant she would have to go to class and face all those people again. Whoever didn't witness it firsthand would definitely have heard about it by now._

_No matter how badly she tried to deny it, that incident had crumpled what little spark she had, and she couldn't bring herself to look at any boy in that way ever again._


	5. Chapter 5

**Just a quick reminder: if you recognize it, it isn't mine. : )**

* * *

**CHAPTER 5**

Halloween arrived before they knew it, and flyers were being strewn about the campus for a party one of the fraternities was throwing.

After being handed one of those flyers on her way to class one day, Bella skimmed over it, rolled her eyes, and then threw it away.

Later that evening, she met up with Jasper so that they could drive to work together.

"Did you see this?" he asked her, producing one of said flyers from his back pocket.

"Oh yeah," she laughed, "I saw it." You would have had to be in a coma to _not_ have seen it.

"What are you going to go as?"

"What?" she asked him, whipping her head to look at him. He couldn't be serious.

"Oh, come on, Bella. We're totally going to this thing."

"No, _we're_ not. _You_ can, if you like. _I _would rather not."

"But it's our first college party. Bella, come on. Think about it."

She glared at him, as they both knew she had no intention of thinking about it.

Jasper met her gaze and said firmly, "Think about it."

Bella glared back before rolling her eyes and Jasper grinned, knowing that somehow, he had won that one.

* * *

As Edward stood in line at the food court, scanning the menu items displayed before him, he didn't notice the girl approaching him.

"Hey, Edward," the voice said enthusiastically.

He turned suddenly and smiled brightly at his new friend. "Hey, Alice! How are you?"

"I'm great! I'm super excited for that Halloween party on Saturday night. Please tell me you're going."

Edward groaned. "Yeah, I'm going. Kate is _making_ me."

Alice laughed. "Good. We're all going too. Bella's not really into it, though."

"She's not?"

"Nah, apparently these types of parties just aren't her thing. I really don't get it, but she's going to come anyways. I think Jasper and I nagged her so much that she gave in just so we'd leave her alone," she giggled.

Edward smiled. _Bella will be there_, _it won't be so bad._

"So what are you going to dress up as?" Alice asked.

Edward groaned once more. "Can't I just go as a college student who hates Halloween parties?"

"_No, _you cannot." Alice's tone was borderline offended and Edward had to laugh.

"So, what are you dressing up as?"

Alice grinned widely as she began going into detail about her costume and Edward humoured her, listening intently as though it was the most thrilling conversation in the world.

Once she was done, she kept prodding. "So what are you _seriously_ going to dress up as?"

"I have an idea," he hinted, his voice trailing off. Knowing how badly Alice wanted to know made it easier to tease her.

"Tell me!"

"No way. It's a surprise."

"Edward! Come on, _please_? I won't tell anyone, I swear."

"Nope."

Alice's mouth dropped open, and she stared at him in disbelief. "I can't believe you're not going to tell me," she said, crossing her arms over her chest and shaking her head back and forth.

"More anticipation for the party," he joked.

"Yeah, and I think it will just about kill me!" Alice laughed, and Edward invited him to eat with her. She accepted, deciding that it would be a great idea to get to know this boy who had captivated Bella so badly. Not to mention, she might end up finding out some information on where Bella stood with _him._

* * *

On the night of the Halloween party, Alice made her way to Bella and Rosalie's dorm so that the three could get ready together.

Alice had the best costume, by far, attending the party as Jessica Rabbit.

Bella was the least creative, and told Alice that she would just go as a witch and that it wasn't up for discussion. She dressed all in black and wore a witch hat, much to Alice's dismay. She wouldn't even paint her face green, though Alice really tried for that one.

When Rosalie stepped out of the washroom, fully prepared to present her costume to the girls, Bella doubled over in laughter while Alice stared in horror.

"What's so funny?" Rosalie asked innocently.

"Nothing is _funny_," Alice replied, horrified. "Rosalie Hale, what on earth are you wearing?"

Rosalie gaped at Bella, still unsure of what was so funny. She had thought her costume was quite clever.

"Rosalie," Bella gasped between laughing fits, "I think I just fell in love with you."

Rosalie smiled, happy that Bella could appreciate her creativity.

"Alice, come on. Don't you get it?" Rosalie asked, turning in a circle so that Alice could get the full effect. She was wearing blue leggings and a blue t-shirt, with little red cardstock C's stuck to her from her ankles all the way up to her collar, increasing in numbers the higher they went, and joining together in a cluster around her collarbone.

"Oh, please, no. I don't need you to give me a fashion show."

"It's clever!" Rosalie insisted.

"But…what _is_ it?"

"Rising sea levels," Rosalie sighed, as though it was obvious.

"Rising _sea_ levels?" Alice repeated.

"Yes! It's a pun. With the Cs! Get it?"

"It's brilliant!" Bella exclaimed. Rosalie looked proud that _someone_ liked her costume. Bella was just glad that her witch costume wasn't looking so horrible anymore.

Alice still looked horrified, and turned back to continue working on Bella's hair as she shook her head. "Rosalie, I am telling you, that costume works for you only because you are so unbelievably hot. I should have known you were going to do something like this when you tried to force us all to be Planeteers so that you could go as Captain Planet."

"I would have done it," Bella piped up.

"That's because you're a good friend, _Bella_," Rosalie joked. "You know, Alice, sea levels worldwide are rising at an alarming rate. By the year 2100, sea levels could rise more than five feet. That would threaten 180 U.S. cities."

"Yes, well, it's Halloween. Ease up a little bit, Rosalie. Anyways, does anyone know what Edward's going as tonight? He wouldn't tell me."

"Edward's going?" Bella practically shouted, whipping around to look up at Alice.

"Yup," she grinned, ignoring the outburst and continuing her task with the curling iron.

"Alone?"

"No." Alice said, slightly deflated.

Bella frowned. "Great," she mumbled.

"He seemed happy when I told him you were going," Alice said, her tone very obviously trying to capture Bella's intrigue.

"What? Wait…when did you talk to him?"

"I had lunch with him the other day in the cafeteria," she shrugged her response.

"You had lunch with him? How did that happen?"

"We just ran into each other at lunchtime and ate together," Alice shrugged.

"Well, what did he say?" Bella pressed.

"Not much, but he definitely perked up substantially when I mentioned you were going. So, that's something."

"That's not _something_. You're only perceiving that he perked up."

"Oh, no. There was perkage, my friend. Definite perkage. Anyways, you have to take things slow in these situations Bella. Let me work my way in there and I'll find out everything I can. I have to say though, he really is a great guy."

Bella sighed, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in her chair like a child. "I know. And you're not helping, by the way."

"Oh, yes I am. I am going to make you look incredible tonight. And you'll feel so good about yourself that he'll be wondering why he's with Kate at all."

But that wasn't what Bella wanted. She didn't want to be a home wrecker who pushed Kate out of the picture as though she had no feelings. She didn't even want Kate to break up with him and break his heart. What she really wanted was impossible: for Edward and Kate to have never been together in the first place.

Not long after Rosalie's costume debut, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," the three girls shouted all at once.

Emmett peeked his head tentatively through the doorway, catching Rosalie's eye and grinning widely. Pushing the door wide open, he stepped dramatically into the room, his costume on full display.

Rosalie squealed with delight, jumping up and down and clapping her hands together. "Captain Planet!"

Alice stared slack-jawed while Bella stifled her laughter.

"You have got to be kidding me," Alice said to Bella.

Rosalie ran to her boyfriend and jumped into his arms as he laughed.

"Wow, that guy is _really _into her," Bella marveled, and Alice nodded.

Having just arrived, Jasper poked his head around Emmett. "What's all the screaming about?"

"Emmett dressed up as Captain Planet for Rosalie," Bella explained as she obligingly sat still as Alice continued with her hair.

"Nice," Jasper commented to Emmett, who slapped him a high five. He then turned his attention to Alice. "You. Look. Stunning."

Alice blushed deeply as his eyes raked over her very authentic-looking Jessica Rabbit costume, and muttered a quiet "thanks", complimenting Jasper in turn.

"Bella, you're not even dressed yet," he accused. She sat in the chair, arms still folded across her chest and legs crossed, wearing black flats, black skinny jeans and a black long-sleeved top.

"Yes, I am," she said simply.

"Do you _see_ what I've had to work with?" Alice piped in. "There, I'm done," she told Bella as she put down the curling iron and ran her fingers through a few waves.

Bella stood up, eyeing Jasper with a _watch this_ glare, reached onto her bed and put on her witch hat.

"See?"

Jasper rolled his eyes theatrically. "You're the worst, Bella. Really and truly. You are _the_ worst."

"Oh, please. You're dressed as a cowboy, Jasper. Predictable much?"

"At least I put a little effort into my costume," he teased, flicking the tip of her hat.

"Would you rather I stayed home?" she asked innocently, batting her eyelashes.

"No! Nice try, loser."

Alice touched up Bella's makeup and the five friends headed out the door as Jasper wrapped an arm around Alice and asked Rosalie what on earth she was wearing. Rosalie snuggled further into Emmett as she got him caught up on the dangers of the world's rising sea levels.

_Fifth wheel. This is exactly why I wanted to stay home, _Bella thought to herself, locking the door behind her.

* * *

"Thank God you guys are here," Edward said gratefully as he made his way over to the group. Jasper was leading the way.

"Great costume, Edward!" Jasper laughed. "Bad party?"

"Kate has been off with her new friends for the last half hour and I've been standing around like a chaperone at a high school dance."

"Let's get you a drink!" Jasper exclaimed, and Alice readily agreed, giving Edward a thumbs-up on his costume choice.

As they walked past Edward towards the makeshift bar, Edward's eyes fell on Bella. He cleared his throat as he stepped towards her.

"Hey," he greeted lamely, with a shy smile on his face.

"Hey," she smiled back. "Great costume, Waldo!" she giggled, eyeing his Where's Waldo get-up. His thick bronze hair peeked out of the striped hat he wore, splaying across his forehead. "New glasses?"

"Old glasses," he clarified, as he was wearing Waldo's signature thick-rimmed frames instead of his normal wire-rimmed ones. "You look great, too!"

She bellowed out a laugh. "Well, Alice would think otherwise, but…thank you."

"I really hate Halloween, Bella," he said bluntly. "I'm going to be horrible company."

"So do I," she giggled. "And you could never be horrible company," she added, looking up into his green eyes. She felt a flutter as he held eye contact for a just a moment too long, and looked away quickly before blushing herself into oblivion. "Drink?"

"Lead the way," he responded.

* * *

A solid thirty minutes had passed before Kate made a reappearance.

"Edward!" she squealed, throwing herself into his arms.

Bella stepped back awkwardly, her smile fading as though suddenly remembering the harsh reality. It was easy for her to have gotten lost in her conversation with Edward, since they had been entirely ditched by their friends and left essentially alone in one another's' company.

Kate planted kisses all over Edward's face as he set her back down onto the ground.

"You're drunk," he said. It was a statement, not a question.

"I am _so_ drunk," she replied, more loudly than necessary. "Edward, you've got to come with me. There's a guy doing _keg stands_ over there. I am so going next. It's so fun!"

"Keg stands? Not really my thing, Katie."

"Oh, come _on_, Edward. Please?"

"I think I'll just hang back here with Bella."

Bella's eyes shot to his as he glanced over at her. _Stay here with me?_ Bella's eyes darted back and forth between Edward and Kate, sure that this would not go over well with the latter.

"Bella!" Kate exclaimed, as though she had just noticed her standing there. Kate threw her arms around Bella in a tight hug. "You don't want to do keg stands with me?"

"Sorry, Kate. I'm not a keg stand type of girl," Bella replied, as Kate peeled her arms away from around her.

"Fine," Kate sighed. "Later, alligators!"

And she was gone again.

Bella and Edward looked at each other for a long moment, neither one knowing what to say. It was as though Kate's mere presence had put a wrench in their time together, a blatant reminder that Edward was off-limits.

"Into the party scene, I guess?" Bella asked of his girlfriend.

"Apparently."

The tone of the evening took a turn after that, both of them making an unconscious effort to keep the conversation overtly platonic.

When Bella disappeared to use the washroom, Edward returned to the bar for another drink. This time he had a shot of vodka as a little intermission between beers, as an extra precaution to keep himself calm.

_Kate is _here_, you idiot. _He reprimanded himself. _And even if she wasn't, stop doing whatever it is you think you're doing._

"Shots!" Edward heard Jasper's shouting only a fraction of a second before he felt the weight of his arm crash around his shoulder. "Time for shots, Edward," Jasper told him, with a slight slur to his words.

Edward decided not to argue, and had two rounds of shots with his friend before Jasper found his way back to Alice. When he saw Bella scanning the crowd for him, he took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and grabbed a Coke for her and another beer for himself.

He snaked his way through the crowd towards her. When she caught sight of him, eyes intently watching her as he approached, she smiled. And he smiled back, for the simple fact that her smile made him smile too.

She thanked him for the Coke and they made their way to another corner of the room, to take off from where they left.

"You're letting loose tonight," she commented, having never thought Edward would have been much of a drinker.

"I needed a night off from myself," he said matter-of-factly, looking at her through hooded, drunken eyes.

"And why is that?"

The way he looked at her had suddenly made Bella nervous, though she couldn't pinpoint why. All she knew was that her heart beat picked up and her mouth went dry, and she told herself over and over that he had just had too much to drink. _This means nothing_.

The sound of a large crowd repeatedly chanting "Keg Stand!" drew their attention away from one another and over to the source of the commotion. That's when they saw Kate, being suspended by the legs by two of her friends, guzzling beer from the keg beneath her.

Edward sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned his head back against the wall. It seemed as though every time he found himself getting lost in Bella-land, a stark reminder of his real life would present itself and he would have to keep telling himself that he was merely imagining these deeper feelings he thought he had for Bella.

"At least she still has her clothes on," Bella murmured from beside him, assuming he was agitated by his girlfriend's behaviour.

He looked at her then, realizing what she had understood from his expression and being a little relieved that she didn't see the truth. "Yeah, at least."

The party continued all around them until their friends showed up and they all spent some time chatting, laughing, drinking and dancing. Bella was on her best behaviour for Alice and Jasper, truly making an effort to enjoy this time with her friends, regardless of how uncomfortable the party scene made her.

Before long, Bella was yawning herself silly and decided it was time to go.

"You're not walking home by yourself," Jasper scolded.

"I'll take her," Edward volunteered.

"What about Kate?" Alice asked.

Another reminder. _Thank you, Alice._

Edward glanced over his shoulder to where he'd last seen Kate, and unsurprisingly, there she was, dancing merrily with her friends, a red Solo cup in one hand.

"She'll be fine," he said, so low that they had to strain to hear him. "But before we go, Bella," he directed her, suddenly visibly more perked up. "One tequila shot. Just one."

She laughed. "I've never had a tequila shot before."

"Never? Okay, now you have to. I'll teach you."

"Just one?"

"Just one."

She rolled her eyes, both her and Edward oblivious to Jasper's eyes darting reproachfully between them. "Okay, fine. _Just one_."

This was going to get ugly, Jasper could feel it. Alice was right, and it was obvious that Edward certainly did feel _something_ for Bella.

After some quick goodbyes, Bella and Edward made their way to the tequila and were soon armed with their shot glasses, two lemon wedges and some salt.

Edward kept his word, and after just _one_ disgusting shot that Bella swore she would never drink again, they made their way to the door.

* * *

On their way out, Edward paused, telling Bella that he needed to find Kate to tell her he was leaving. She watched the interaction intently, even though she knew it had the potential to be painful.

But Kate did not look sorry to see him go. In fact, she was having so much fun that she quickly gave him a peck on the lips before turning back to her friends.

Bella was confused, but relieved at how much easier that was than she thought it would be.

They walked mostly in silence back to their dorms in the chilly late October air, though Edward's alcohol-induced clumsiness made for some welcome comic relief.

"How come you don't have a boyfriend, Bella?" Edward asked her suddenly.

She tensed up, surprised by this sudden turn in conversation. "Um…I don't know. I've never really dated."

"How come? I don't get it."

She let out a long breath, trying to figure out how to answer the question. "I've just always been…really…un-dateable, I guess. I only ever went out once with a guy. He ended up being a major asshole."

She looked at him then, and saw that he was looking back at her, and then he fumbled over his own feet. She giggled.

He shook his head, ignoring his clumsiness. "It just doesn't make sense to me. How you're not with someone."

"Why are you so surprised?" she laughed. He likely wouldn't even remember this conversation in the morning so she went along with it, answering his prying questions.

"You're just so beautiful," he stated, as though it was simply a matter of empirical fact.

Bella laughed loudly at this.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because you're drunk," she snickered.

"Drunk or not, that's the way it is, Bella."

Edward stopped walking then, grabbing her hand gently so that she would stop too. She looked down at their touching hands, and then up at him, her eyes wide.

"You're beautiful." His voice was barely more than a whisper, and his eyes were locked on hers as he spoke those sincere words.

Bella attempted swallowing the lump that seemed to be caught in her throat. Goosebumps cloaked her entire body, and her stomach was in knots. She tried deciphering the confused, almost pained look on his face, but she couldn't make any sense of it.

The silence between them spanned a ten seconds that felt like a million, before Bella was the first to speak.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Edward cleared his throat and turned to continue their walk, allowing his hand to slip from hers.

When she reached her dorm room and they said their goodnights, she closed the door and exhaled loudly – she hadn't realized she wasn't breathing. Her nerves got the better of her now that she had a minute to replay their walk home over and over.

_Did he really say that to me? Was there something more there? That had to have been something. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…_

She wanted – needed – to see him again.

* * *

**Alrighty! I swore to myself that I would wait longer between posts to leave myself enough time to write some more, but as always, I got too excited ; )**

**Not sure when the next one will be up, but I'm hoping it will be sometime next week. Thanks so much for reading, and as always, all comments (good and bad) are welcome!**

**oxox**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

Edward woke up the next morning with a pounding headache, an unquenchable thirst, and sinking relief that he was in his own bed. It occurred to him that he wasn't sure whose bed he was dreading waking up in – Bella's or Kate's. Either option would have caused him some level of chaos.

He sat up in bed, leaning against the wall, rubbing his head with his hands, willing the headache to subside.

"I feel like I might die," Jasper moaned, shifting himself onto his said with an arm hanging off his bed and startling Edward in the process. He hadn't realized Jasper was still sleeping in the bed across from his.

"Same. I didn't think I drank that much."

"You were plastered," Jasper told him. "I was worried you'd do something stupid when you left with Bella."

"Bella?" Edward had remembered spending his time at the party with her, but didn't remember leaving the party at all, let alone with Bella. It began to slowly come back to him…

They were interrupted by a very gentle knock at the door. Jasper groaned, annoyed at having to get up.

"Who is it?" he asked, barely louder than a normal speaking volume.

"It's Bella," the voice replied.

"I'll get it," Edward offered, realizing after the fact that he might have sounded a bit too eager.

She was slightly startled when she saw it was Edward opening the door, and smiled in relief that he was in his own dorm, and had clearly slept here since he had visibly just woken up. She took in his pyjamas of choice appreciatively – boxer shorts and a grey t-shirt.

"I brought coffee," she said shyly, glancing down to the paper tray that held three coffees in it.

"Thank you," Edward smiled. "You have no idea how perfect your timing is."

He stepped aside and let her in, closing the door behind her.

"Bella," Jasper's muffled groan almost made her laugh out loud. "What are you doing up so early?" He sounded like he had been run over by a dump truck.

"Early? It's one in the afternoon."

"It is?" Edward asked, checking the clock. "Shit. I have a paper to write."

"Do I have to work today?" Jasper asked, eyes still closed.

"No. But I do. At two. I just came by to drop these off." She placed the tray on Jasper's desk and took her own coffee.

Edward smiled to himself, mentally adding this to the list of everything else he loved about Bella.

"_And_ I wanted to pick up the DVDs you said your dad sent me."

"DVDs?" Edward asked from his spot on his bed.

"Jasper's dad sent me the entire series of _Lost_ on DVD. I am _dying_ to watch them!"

"Get out! I watched the first three episodes then I just never kept going. It's awesome!"

"Do you want to, umm, watch it together? Maybe?" Bella's voice grew smaller, and Jasper shot her a disapproving look. Her eyes flashed to his for a fraction of an instant before turning back to Edward, ignoring Jasper entirely. She couldn't believe she was being so forward, but that little moment they shared last night on the way home last night was giving her a tiny confidence boost.

"Sure, that sounds great! Do you guys want to have a marathon tonight?"

Jasper bowed out since he was getting together with Alice, and had "no desire to watch that stupid show."

"So…just you and me, then, Bella?"

"Sounds good," she replied, her cheeks flushed. "I'm done work at eight tonight, maybe I can come after that?"

"Great!"

With plans solidified, Bella headed out to her shift, eagerly awaiting the end of it. She was practically floating, for once ignoring everything that was wrong with the situation and just basking in the feeling of complete rightness.

She even ignored a text from Jasper, sure that he was going to kill her buzz.

* * *

Bella left the pizzeria at 8:15, armed with a pizza and a couple of Cokes for her and Edward to share, taking extra precautions to continue avoiding Jasper's earlier text.

Edward had returned from the library early enough so that he wouldn't be late for Bella's arrival. Jasper was milling about their room, getting ready for an evening with Alice.

"So, you and Alice are pretty serious, huh?" Edward asked casually.

"I think so. I mean, we haven't talked about it or anything, but, I gotta tell you, she's different. Sometimes I think I really am done with other girls."

"Wow, that bad?"

"That bad," Jasper laughed. "I really always figured this was when I'd really date around and figure my shit out. Isn't that what college is for?"

Jasper noted a slight faltering in Edward's smile, and realized that he might have been giving Edward the wrong idea. Being in college doesn't mean dumping the girl you love, fooling around with someone else for a while, and then ultimately going back to girl number one. Especially not when the in-between girl is Bella.

"But," Jasper continued, "I really admire what you have with Kate. That kind of solid commitment is hard to come by."

There was a brief pause as Edward reacted silently to his girlfriend's name.

"It's hard sometimes," he told Jasper hesitantly.

"What's hard?"

"Being in a long-term relationship when you start college."

Jasper perked up, paying extra close attention.

Edward continued when he saw the concern etched on Jasper's face.

"Everything is so new; nothing like the life I had back home. The life _we_ had back home. Everything was familiar. Safe. And you come to this new place with the person who you considered to be your safety net. But instead, that person can end up being the one who holds you back from things. Sometimes the newness of it all can be appealing. A fresh start. Like there are all these new options available to me – options that might even be _better_ for me – and I would just feel so guilty to stray from the familiar. I would feel like I was just abandoning her if I wanted to go off and do my own thing. We came here together."

Edward was trying to tell Jasper something, clearly. And Jasper was pretty sure he knew what message was being conveyed, but he couldn't say it out loud, and he couldn't jump to conclusions.

Instead, Jasper nodded as if he understood. Things were getting complicated, and the worst was clearly yet to come.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation, and Jasper got up to let Bella in. He noted the pizza and the Cokes and raised an eyebrow at her, which she ignored, walking right past him.

"Did you get my text earlier?" Jasper asked her, obviously loud enough so that Edward could hear.

"Text? Nope."

"Hm. That's weird."

Bella peeked up at Jasper sheepishly, and he shot her a very blatant warning glare. Her eyes lingered on his, knowing full well that he was right. But Bella couldn't help herself – she would be Edward's friend if that was all she could have.

Edward was getting the DVD set up on their tiny television that his parents let him take from home. It was at least 20 years old and was about 10 inches tall. Definitely not the big-screen experience, but it would do. Especially since watching the show in high definition was not at all the part that Bella cared about anymore.

Once Jasper was gone, Bella and Edward set themselves up on the floor between the two beds, eating pizza out of the box that lay on the floor between them. After the first episode, they shifted so that Bella was situated on Jasper's bed and Edward on his own. It made it easier on both of them to be on either side of the room – the temptation was a bit more subdued that way.

They made it through the end of the second episode when Bella couldn't control her yawning.

"Should we pack it in?"

"Yeah, maybe we should," Bella replied through a yawn, and _very_ reluctantly.

"Should we watch more tomorrow night?"

"Sure," Bella replied, returning the smile Edward was wearing. "We've got to find out what's up with that French lady's transmission!"

Bella collected her things and made her way to the door. As she turned to say goodnight to Edward, she saw him putting his jacket on.

"Where are you off to?" She asked, assuming he would be heading to Kate's for the night.

"I'm not letting you walk back to your dorm all by yourself at this hour."

Bella playfully rolled her eyes. "I'm a big girl, you know."

"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if anything happened to you in the 60 seconds it takes you to get there. Not to mention, Jasper would kill me."

"Okay, fine. Walk me home."

As Bella was climbing into her bed that night, a smile lingering as she thought about what had gone on that evening, she remembered that she had a text message that had gone un-read. She reached for her phone and reluctantly opened Jasper's message.

_What the hell are you doing? Don't be stupid, this won't end well._

* * *

Monday evening passed in the same way as the night before, though Jasper sat at his desk with headphones on, working on a term paper while Edward and Bella watched their show.

This time, however, when it was time for Bella to go, Jasper quickly offered to walk her back. Bella knew exactly what he was doing – he wanted to give her a lecture about her friendship with Edward.

"Bella," he started as they exited his building. She knew that tone. "What are you doing?" his voice was concerned, and there was no way to deny that he was right.

"I don't know."

"Bella, please tell me you haven't forgotten about Kate. Please."

"I haven't forgotten, _trust_ me."

"Then _what_ are you doing?"

"I don't know, Jasper! He's fun and we get along really well and have a lot in common and I really think we're becoming pretty good friends."

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"Like what?" Bella was confused. Wasn't she already doing something stupid by torturing herself to be around Edward as much as she could?

"Don't be the other woman, Bella. Don't do it."

"Jasper, I would never! It's not like that, I promise. We really are just friends."

"And you're ok with that?"

"No. But I have to be. If I want him in my life at all, I have to be. I've just…never connected with anyone like this before."

"What about me?" Jasper asked, feigning insult.

"Oh, stop. You know what I mean."

They had reached the door to Bella's building, and Jasper turned to face her before she went inside.

"I'm serious, Bella. Don't get yourself in too deep. Or put him in an awkward position. The guy's been with her for _years_."

"Yes, I know. You don't have to keep reminding me."

"I just really don't want you to get hurt."

"I know."

* * *

The following weeks continued just the same. Bella and Edward would watch their show together each evening that their schedules would allow. Sometimes Jasper would be there, sometimes he wouldn't.

If Bella was being honest with herself, she kind of liked it when Jasper was there, as it ensured that a safe distance was kept between her and Edward. She couldn't guarantee her control around him, and she certainly did _not_ want to do anything stupid. This, in turn, also minimized the disapproving glares and comments from Jasper.

There was no denying that the more time they spent together, the more they talked and laughed, the more their attraction to one another grew. And every time Bella would leave him, Edward would be torn between complete elation and riotous guilt and confusion.

He loved Kate; there was no denying that fact. But he had known her since elementary school, and they had been together for so long that he wasn't entirely sure he was still _in_ love with her anymore.

Edward hadn't been secretive with his girlfriend when he spent time with Bella, because lying to her would only make things more difficult. He was surprised when she seemed indifferent, he would have thought she would have been a bit more jealous. It wasn't until the third week of their _lost_ nights that Kate had expressed any sort of disapproval.

"You and Bella have been spending a lot of time together," she said as they ate dinner.

Edward became nervous, assuming she saw right through him, and busied himself by taking a large bite of his hamburger and speaking through the mouthful. "Um, yeah. Does it bother you?"

She paused, twirling a strand of her hair as she seemed to contemplate this. "No. I mean, I trust you. And I guess if Jasper's there, there's really no harm, right? It's just…different. That's all."

He smiled at her then, though he was feeling like he was committing all sorts of bad, wrong, adulterous acts that he wasn't even doing. But he was getting emotionally attached to a girl who wasn't his girlfriend, and there was nothing right about that.

He couldn't tell her there was nothing to worry about. He couldn't really say anything reassuring. Instead, thankfully for Edward, the conversation moved to other topics.

* * *

On the Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving weekend, Bella headed over to Jasper and Edward's dorm room to meet up with Jasper before their shift at the pizzeria.

Kate was there, hanging out with Edward, and they were making plans on where they would meet later that day before their flight home for the holiday weekend. She was sitting on his bed beside his open suitcase, completely at ease, chatting comfortably with her boyfriend who moved around the room collecting items to pack.

Bella watched him out of the corner of her eye, catching his eye once or twice before they each quickly looked away. They barely spoke directly to one another for fear of upsetting Kate, which probably only made it more obvious.

"Alright," Kate said as she stood up to leave. "I'll meet you in front of my dorm at four-thirty?"

"Yup," was all Edward said.

She leaned in to give him a short kiss on the lips, and Bella couldn't help but look, even though it broke her heart. Edward's eyes flitted to Bella's as Kate pulled away.

"Ready, Jasper?" Bella asked suddenly, avoiding Edward's eyes.

"Yeah. Shit, wait. I just have to email my prof before I forget. Give me two minutes."

"Walk me down, Bella?" Kate asked her before Bella could sit back down to wait.

"Sure," Bella replied warily. What an odd request – they had never spent any time alone together. "Jasper, I'll wait for you outside."

The girls walked in silence until they were outside. Bella glanced nervously at Kate a couple times, who just continued walking silently as normal, watching the steps in front of her.

"Bella, I have to talk to you," Kate said as soon as they were both standing in the cool November air.

Bella's mouth went dry, and her heart leapt into her throat. She felt her palms get sweaty, and she had no idea how on earth she was going to handle what was about to come.

"Yeah?"

"I, um, I need to tell you something."

Bella attempted to swallow, but came up short. _You had to know this was coming, stupid girl_.

"What's up?" Bella asked, attempting to sound casual.

"I, um, I…did something really bad."

The fog in Bella's mind suddenly cleared. This conversation wasn't going in the direction she though, much to her relief.

"What do you mean?"

Kate rubbed her temples with one hand and squinted, trying to come up with the words.

"I kissed someone."

Bella's eyes just about bugged out of her face.

"At the Halloween party. After Edward left."

"_What?_" Bella couldn't hide the shock that coursed through her.

"I know, Bella, I know. I'm horrible. I didn't know what I was doing. I was so drunk. _You_ saw me."

Bella wondered if her drunkenness was supposed to excuse the fact that she cheated on her boyfriend.

"Who was it?"

"This guy from my Sociology class. God, I'm so stupid."

"Why are you telling me this, Kate?" This wasn't what Bella had wanted to hear. She didn't want to be handed information that could easily destroy Edward's relationship. And here it was, on a silver platter. Ripe for the taking.

"I don't know. I just…I trust you, Bella. And you're Edward's friend. I thought maybe you could help me."

"Did you tell Edward?"

"No. _God_, no. I can't. He would hate me forever. How could I _do_ this?"

"What do you want me to do, Kate?"

"I don't know what I want you to do. I just, I needed to tell someone. It was _killing_ me."

"Well, are you…do you…I mean, do you still want to be with Edward?"

The doors burst open at that very second and Jasper appeared.

"I'm ready now," he said warily as his eyes danced between the two wide-eyed girls. He was clearly interrupting something.

"Great. Let's go," Bella said, taking Jasper by the hand and pulling him away.

As they walked away, Bella looked back over her shoulder and found Kate looking after them.

_Don't tell anyone. Please._ Kate mouthed to her.

Bella nodded subtly.

"What was _that_ about?" Jasper asked quietly so that Kate wouldn't hear.

"Nothing. Um…girl stuff."

Jasper cocked an eyebrow at that, clearly not believing the bold-faced lie. "Sure."

He went through a mental checklist of what could have possibly been wrong. Was Kate pregnant? Was the baby Edward's? Did she call out Bella on having a thing for her boyfriend? He shook his head at the drama that swam around his head. _I've been hanging around Alice too much._

"You okay, Bells?" he asked her when they pulled up to the pizzeria. She had been acting strange. Whatever it was that Kate said to her had a profound impact on Bella.

"Yup. Totally okay."

"Right."

But Jasper let it go. Partially because he didn't want to get any more involved in the Bella-Edward drama, but also because he wasn't one to pry. She would talk to him if she needed to, when she was good and ready. It was what she had always done.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

On the morning of holiday Thursday, Jasper and Bella were making their way to the apartment where their families were staying. Since Bella's parents, Charlotte and Peter had never been to the big city, they all decided to make a holiday out of it, and had arrived late the night before.

"This is going to be insane," Jasper said.

"Ugh, I know. They're like animals when they're all together. At least your parents get along, right? You never have to have two holidays. That's something."

"Yeah, that's a definite plus."

Jasper pulled into his parking spot and they looked at each other before getting out.

They made their way up the stairs to the top floor of the apartment, walking in silence as they knew it would be the last bit of quiet they would have all weekend.

Jasper and Bella stood side by side in front of the closed door, and they looked at each other as Jasper knocked on the door, bracing themselves for the onslaught of excitement. They had fallen into their own little New York bubble, and they liked it there.

Just as they predicted, when Jasper's mom, Maggie, swung open the door and saw them standing before her, she squealed. Renee joined in a second later, thrilled to see her baby girl for the first time since she'd left for college.

Jasper and Bella were absorbed into the apartment faster than they could think, and so the day of cooking and catching up began.

* * *

The families sat at a long table, feasting on the meal that had been prepared throughout the day. The room had quieted down significantly since the food was served, but the chatter still managed to continue without pause.

"Tell me more about Alice. I want to know what she looks like, what she sounds like…all of it!" Charlotte told Jasper excitedly.

He rolled his eyes. "Would you relax? You're so crazy. I'm glad she hasn't met you yet, she would have dumped me by now."

"That's so mean! I bet she'd love me. Jerk."

Bella giggled, mentally agreeing with Charlotte, since she found the two so similar. "I'll show you a picture later," she winked. Charlotte smiled at her, and then stuck her tongue out at her brother.

"What's going on with you, big Pete?" Bella nudged Peter, who was sitting next to her. "How's high school so far?"

"It sucks," he replied, though he was smiling. Peter was a lot like Bella, and not at all like his older siblings. Peter was a bookworm, a science geek by all accounts, and the last person who would care at all about homecoming dances and football games.

"Yeah. That doesn't change," Bella told him, taking a bite of mashed potatoes.

"Oh, God, Bella. Don't do that to him. Pete, high school is awesome," Jasper jumped in.

"No, it's not. It sucks," Bella told him in an exaggerated whisper that everyone could hear. Jasper threw a dinner roll at her.

"College, on the other hand, is awesome," she continued. "So you just gotta play the game until you get here."

Peter smiled at her appreciatively. He always felt like the odd one out in his family, and having Bella sticking up for him all the time made things much easier. The admiration went both ways. Bella felt a kinship with Peter, and having no siblings of her own to compare herself to, she was happy that she wasn't the only one who shared her views.

"Did you get those DVDs, Bella?" Jasper's dad asked her.

"I did! Thanks so much. What an awesome show! I can't stop watching it, I'm getting through them pretty fast."

She saw Jasper smirking at her across the table and chose to ignore him.

"Well, Bella, we've heard all about Alice. Have you met anyone?" her mom asked her.

"Nope," she replied simply, taking another mouthful of food.

"Why don't you tell them about Edward?" Jasper jumped in, and Bella shot him the deadliest death glare she had ever given anyone. He popped in a forkful of turkey and was smiling at her as he chewed it.

"Who's Edward?" Her father asked sternly, leaning towards her with an elbow on the table.

"He's no one," Bella said, still glaring at Jasper. "He's Jasper's roommate."

Their parents were all looking at each other quizzically, while Pete was oblivious and Charlotte leaned into her, suddenly very interested.

"Oh, but he's not _just_ my roommate, Bella."

She remained silent, and Jasper continued.

"He and Bella have become very good friends."

"Oh?" Renee asked. "And is that _all_? Just good friends?"

Bella put down her utensils in exasperation, giving Jasper a pointed look before turning to her mother.

"Yes, just friends. Edward has a very serious long-term girlfriend. I'm really not sure why Jasper even brought it up. He's friends with Edward too."

The mothers looked at one another knowingly, as it was clear to them that Bella had feelings for this boy. The subject was changed immediately by Renee, who knew enough to stop making her daughter uncomfortable.

"Can you believe we found this place? It's gorgeous," she began, while looking around their rental apartment.

"Oh, I know. And a great location," Maggie continued.

* * *

Bella was cleaning pots at the sink while Jasper loaded the dishwasher. He hadn't stopped mentioning Edward here and there, and he was clearly trying to make some sort of point.

As they worked, Jasper persisted. "College is awesome," he answered Charlotte's question, loudly enough for everyone to hear. "I mean, sometimes you get stuck with a crappy roommate. Alice's roommate is a little nuts. But, I mean, Edward is _great_. We got along right away. Bella likes him too."

Bella dropped what she was doing, dried her hands on a dish cloth and stormed out of the kitchen, to the bathroom. Jasper followed her, ready to have it out, and shut the door behind him before she unleashed on him.

"Why are you being such an asshole?" she whispered.

"Bella, you don't understand what you're doing. The guy clearly has feelings for you, and you're not helping. What's he going to do? Break up with his long-term girlfriend for a girl he just met? Be realistic."

"I _am_ being realistic. I don't expect him to dump her, Jasper, I really don't. I just really _really_ like spending time with him. It's like I physically cannot stay away from him. How can you not understand that? I can't. I try, and I just can't."

"Well, something's gotta give, Bella. Because this is only going to get much worse before it gets better. And _you're_ the one who will suffer the most. You're putting yourself through hell. And for what? For him? You barely even _know_ him."

"Jasper, we're not doing anything wrong, I swear. Do you not believe me? Can't I just enjoy his company while I still can? Who knows what will happen next year when he's not your roommate anymore. I might never see him again."

"And would that be horrible, Bella? You didn't know the guy until way after school even started."

"You're the one who told me you can't help who you like."

"But that doesn't mean you have to keep adding fuel to the fire."

"How do you know that? How do you even know he has feelings for me? Did he tell you that?"

"No, but…"

"Then stop saying things like that when you don't even know for sure. God, that's the _one _thing I wish were true, Jasper."

"Well, Bella, I'm just saying that it appears that way, and I'm not the only one who thinks so."

Bella rolled her eyes, knowing it was Alice feeding him her opinions on the subject.

She paused, took a deep breath, and had a debate with herself in her mind before making a snap decision to come clean.

"I have a secret," she told him, covering her face with her hands, indignity evident in her voice.

Jasper's eyes went wide, and he pulled her hands away from her face so that she couldn't lie to him.

"What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything, I promise. Someone told me something. But I'm not supposed to tell anyone."

"Then don't tell me, I don't want to know." He knew it had to be about what Kate had told her the day before.

"But Jasper, I can't be the only one carrying this on my shoulders."

"Is it about you?"

"No."

"Is it about Alice?"

"No."

"Is it about me?"

"No."

"Then forget it. If you're not supposed to tell, don't get into trouble for spilling."

"Kate kissed someone at the Halloween party after Edward left," Bella blurted out quickly, then covered her mouth with her hand.

"_What_? Are you serious?"

Bella nodded.

"How do you know that?"

"She told me."

"When?"

"Yesterday, when we were outside waiting for you."

"Why would she tell _you_ that?"

"I don't know, Jasper. She sounded desperate. What am I supposed to do? She said she trusted me."

Jasper rolled his eyes. "If only she knew. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I can't tell Edward. It would have to come from her. Plus, I don't want him dumping her because I blabbed. I want them to work their shit out themselves. Do you think she'll ever tell him?"

Jasper shrugged, shaking his head in annoyance. "She should. Jesus Christ, Bella. I can't believe you told me that. He's my _roommate_."

"I'm sorry! But _God_, I feel so much better."

"How am I supposed to keep this a secret?"

"Jasper, you have to. You _have _to. Promise me."

"Yeah, yeah. I promise. God, you're such an idiot. How is it that you can get yourself into these situations? You're really messing with my vibe."

"Your '_vibe_'?"

"Shut up. You're really making shit harder for me, liking my roommate like this. I hate it."

"I hate it too. I'm sorry."

Jasper pulled Bella into a tight hug and kissed her forehead. She squeezed him back as hard as she could, so relieved to have told someone her secret, and so relieved that it was Jasper.

As much as she hated hearing his harsh words whenever the topic of Edward came up, she needed the not-so-subtle reminders. She knew she would be getting trampled at some point. Until then, she was going to enjoy each moment she got to spend with him.

* * *

Bella stood in line at the coffee shop near the library, waiting not-so-patiently for the girl in front of her to make a decision. She was eyeing the table in the corner, hoping no one took it so that she could set up camp to finish a reading before her next class.

When she finally got hold of her tea and made her way to the table, someone else had beat her to it by a hair. She half-smiled at the stranger, admitting defeat, and turned to find somewhere else to sit in the very busy coffee shop. As luck would have it, all of the little tables were entirely full.

"Excuse me," the voice said as she was about to make her way into the library to study.

Bella turned back around to the stranger that took her table. "Yes?"

"Would you like to sit with me? I mean, I'm not sure if you're meeting someone or not, but um, you're more than welcome to share the table with me."

He smiled then. A shy, kind, welcoming smile. Bella found herself smiling back.

"Um, sure. Thank you. That would be great. You don't mind?"

"No, of course not," he huffed out a friendly laugh.

The boy made room on the table for her things, smiling again as she sat down.

"I'm Jacob," he said, extending his hand.

"Bella," she replied, taking it.

Jacob's eyes lingered on her face as she took her books out.

"So what are you studying?" he asked her.

"Literature in an Age of Revolution. Um, I'm an English major. How about you?"

"Linear Algebra." Bella made an impressed face, and he continued. "Uh, Mechanical Engineering major."

"Impressive," she commented. He blushed.

It didn't go unnoticed that this Jacob fellow was attractive. And, as he had been for the last few months, Edward was at the forefront of her mind and she was comparing Jacob to the boy who had captivated her.

_He's still no Edward_.

They were polar opposites, physically. Though they were both tall, Jacob's skin was darker, as were his eyes and hair. And where Edward's features were more chiseled, Jacob's were a bit softer – more of a baby face.

They got to work, each studying their respective subjects, concentrating on their work and keeping the conversation to a minimum. Although, every now and then, Bella would feel his eyes on her would look up only to find him turning away briskly.

Though Bella obviously found this flattering, she couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable, but she couldn't identify the reason why.

After a solid two hours of studying, Bella checked the time and realized she had to meet with Jasper for a ride to work.

She began packing up her things quietly, not wanting to disturb Jacob, but he quickly noticed and put his pencil down.

"Have to run?"

"Yeah, I'm working and I have to meet my friend for a ride."

"Oh. Well, it was really great meeting you."

"You too, Jacob. And thanks for letting me sit here."

"Sure," he paused briefly before speaking again. "Bella?"

"Yes?"

"Um, I don't know what your plans are on Friday, but I thought maybe I could, um, take you out or something."

Bella was surprised and became nervous. Her thoughts immediately fell on Edward, and she quickly reminded herself that he was not her boyfriend. He might never be, because he had a very serious girlfriend. And there was nothing wrong with Jacob. And if she was being honest with herself, she was kind of hoping to make Edward even a little bit jealous by dating someone.

"S-sure," she stammered. Bella hadn't been asked out since that one time in high school, and had been used to the idea that she just did not get asked out on dates.

Jacob's answering smile was infectious, and Bella smiled too. His excitement was palpable, and she couldn't help but be excited right along with him.

"Great! Where can I pick you up?"

"Um, how about we meet at University Hall?" Bella may have been going on a date with this guy, but she didn't know him and did not want him knowing where she was living. At least not yet.

"That's perfect. How about seven thirty?"

"Works for me," she smiled, glad that he wasn't put off by her suggestion to meet somewhere instead of having him pick her up.

They exchanged phone numbers, and off Bella went to meet Jasper.

* * *

"You have a _date_?" Jasper asked in shock as he pulled up to the pizza place. "And _why_ did you wait the whole car ride to tell me?"

"Because. It's not a big deal."

"It _is_ a big deal, Bella. A really great, big deal."

"Stop. I shouldn't have told you at all."

"Fine, I'll stop making a big deal out of it. But I'm really happy for you, Bells. This is a really good thing."

She rolled her eyes and got out of the car. Although she knew and understood Jasper's reasons for not wanting her to be with Edward, it still stung at how badly he was rooting against them.

"So what's his name?" Jasper began as they walked inside.

Bella glared at him before answering. "Jacob."

"Jacob what?"

"I don't know."

"Is he a freshman?"

"I don't know."

"What's he studying?"

"Mechanical Engineering."

"Nice!"

Bella was relieved when Jasper only had time to grab his first delivery and head out, knowing full well that the questions would continue on the way home.

* * *

The date had gone better than Bella had expected. Jacob took her to a movie and afterwards they got some hot chocolate at a nearby coffee shop.

They covered all of the getting-to-know-you basics, and Bella found him to be pleasant and sweet. She also found herself wondering if this was the boy who would push her to get over Edward. But were there supposed to be butterflies? She was fairly certain that the nerves she felt from just going on the date had nothing to do with butterflies.

She agreed to go on another date with him though, because he was a nice, attractive person who was interested in her, and she was certainly not tied down to anyone else.

The next day, Bella met up with Jasper and Alice at Quinn's for lunch. She was surprised to see that, when she found them already at a table, Edward was sitting with them.

"Oh. Hey! I didn't know you'd be here," she smiled, happy to see him.

"Me neither, actually. Alice invited me," he explained.

Bella looked at Alice then, only to find her smiling smugly back at her.

Jasper knew that Alice was encouraging whatever it was that was going on between Edward and Bella, and he did his best to diffuse that at every chance he got.

"So, how was the date last night?" he asked as soon as she sat down across from him.

Tension surfaced instantly, and it had Alice, Bella and Edward squirming in their seats. Bella glared at Jasper while Alice cleared her throat. Edward did his best to keep his interest neutral, and it didn't escape Alice's notice that he failed miserably.

"It was fine," she replied.

"What did you do?" Jasper pressed.

"We went to a movie and then to a coffee shop after."

"Did he kiss you?"

Bella adjusted herself in her seat, glancing briefly at Edward. She saw him looking impassively at his plate.

"Um…no." Her voice was quiet.

Jasper nodded, seemingly pleased with this answer. "Are you going out again?"

"Holy shit, Jasper. What's with the third degree?" She laughed nervously, hoping to sound lighthearted.

"I'm just wondering! I'm excited that you're dating. You deserve a good guy, Bella."

She glanced once more at Edward, and they locked eyes for a fraction of an instant before he promptly returned his gaze to his food.

"So, are you?" Jasper pressed.

"Yes."

"When?"

"Let's talk about something else, please," she pleaded.

And like the amazing person that she is, Alice changed the subject instantly. They began discussing their final exams and when they would all be going home for the holidays.

Through their entire lunch, Edward found himself dwelling over the fact that Bella had gone on a date with someone. He tried rationalizing to himself that he was with someone and had been for a long time. That he had no right to feel any kind of claim on her, since he wasn't making a move to make himself available. But try as he might, he couldn't help the jealousy that coursed through him like a tidal wave.

It didn't go unnoticed by Bella that he had been unusually quiet. So, as they were walking out of the pub after their lunch, she reached out to him. Because, regardless of who was dating whom, she _did _feel an irrational claim on him and hadn't spent time with him in days.

"So, do you want to plan a night to watch Lost? It's been a while." It had only been four days.

"Sure!" he sounded enthusiastic. "Um, how about tonight?"

"I'm working tonight," she mumbled, disappointed. "Tomorrow?"

"Perfect," he smiled.

And so that is how things continued between Edward and Bella. Jacob had provided them with a sort of security blanket, allowing them to feel like their close friendship was justified because they were both seeing other people. They grew closer and closer as the weeks went on, discussing every topic they could think of and confiding in one another on personal matters as well. The one topic they steered entirely clear from was that of the people they were dating. Jacob and Kate were rarely mentioned in their time together, if ever.

Bella and Jacob continued dating, and became exclusively a couple right before the Christmas break. He had kissed her on their second date, right in the middle of Times Square. It was sweet and soft, and had made Bella smile. He was a perfect gentleman and they got along well. He made her laugh, and she found herself actually looking forward to seeing him.

But that didn't change the fact that, one day when her and Jacob had plans to go out, she ended up telling a little white lie to get out of it when Edward had asked if she would be at Quinn's that night with the group. She couldn't hide the fact that she would rather spend time with Edward, and just wasn't ready to introduce Jacob to her friends yet.

She decided to keep that little tidbit to herself, knowing that Jasper would never let her hear the end of it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi everyone!**

**First and foremost, and big THANK YOU to all of you reviewers and story followers. I get a little more excited than I like to admit every time I get an email notifying me of a new review or follower. ; )**

**Second, I don't know why this chapter is so short...I'm telling you, I am horrible at judging when chapters should start and end! Oh well.**

**And third, I won't be able to post another chapter for at least another week, since I'll be away next week. Please bear with me! I have a bunch more written, but I'd like to get in a couple more edits before posting. There's something about this story that I really love, and I want to be sure I do it justice. **

**Thanks so much for reading, and I'll see you all again with the next post! oxox**

* * *

**CHAPTER 8**

Right before everyone left to go home for the holidays, they all met at Quinn's for a post-finals night out. It also marked the day that, after much pestering from Jasper, Bella would introduce Jacob to her friends.

Bella, Rosalie and Emmett were the first to arrive, and secured a large enough table to accompany the rest of them, who would be joining them later.

Edward was the next to show up, and Bella was pleased to see that he was alone, given that Kate was supposed to be in attendance.

"No Kate tonight?" she asked him.

"She'll be coming by later. She wanted to have a nap after her last exam."

Bella nodded, and the two quickly became enthralled in their own little bubble.

"Of course I've read Jane Austen's books. I'm an English major, remember?" she teased. "But I have to say, I'm surprised that you have."

"I was curious," he laughed and took another sip of his drink. "And after I found I liked the first one, I just kept going."

They were interrupted by Kate, who neither had even seen approaching.

"Oh. Hey, Kate," Edward greeted awkwardly and stood up to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. Kate smiled politely at the two.

Edward held out a chair for her, but she declined. "Um, I'm just going to grab a drink from the bar. I'll be back."

And with that, Bella and Edward were left to their conversation.

"So what did you think?" Bella asked, taking off from where they left.

"I loved them!"

"You _did_?"

"Yeah, she was an incredible writer. Why do you sound so surprised?"

"I don't know. Just never figured you for an Austen fan, I guess."

"Well doesn't everyone like Jane Austen?"

"Not me."

"_What_? But you're an English major!"

His reaction had made her laugh. "I know, but I was just so _bored_ while I was reading them."

They both roared with laughter at the irony of the conversation, completely oblivious that the rest of their party had arrived, save for Jacob.

Jacob had arrived just a short while after that, excited to see Bella and meet all of her friends. He shook their hands eagerly and made a point to remember who was who. Right after his introduction to Rosalie, she locked eyes with Bella and raised her eyebrows in obvious approval. Bella smiled.

_See? I can be friends with Edward,_ she thought to herself smugly.

Edward's mood took a nosedive after that, and Bella refused to accept the possibility that it could be due to jealousy. After all, it would be more than she could ask for to have him return her feelings, and what's more, he had someone too. It's not as though he was sitting around pining over her.

Edward became a little more quiet, a little more reserved, and was definitely caught by Alice a few times as he watched the interactions between Bella and Jacob a little too closely.

While their significant others were in attendance, Bella and Edward didn't get to spend much time together, though it was clear that they both wanted to. The tension was blatantly obvious to Jasper, though, and he made a very genuine effort to get to know Jacob and engage him in the group as much as possible. Did he not see that his girlfriend was infatuated with someone else?

In one particularly awkward conversation between Bella, Edward, Kate and Jacob, Kate suddenly grabbed Bella's hand and pulled her away. Edward and Jacob stood dumbfounded as they watched Kate drag Bella towards the bar.

"What's going on?" Bella asked wearily.

"I'm freaking out, Bella. I can't keep lying to him like this."

"Well, what do you want me to do? Are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know, I don't know. I can't tell him now, _right_ before the holidays. We're going home, and our families like, spend the holidays together and stuff. God, this is just so weird. Help me! What should I do?" Kate had grabbed Bella's hands and was desperate for some guidance.

"Oh, Kate, please stop. You can't be asking me about this," Bella whined, pulling her hands away from Kate's.

"Why not?"

"Just…because. Edward's my friend. And I don't want to get in the middle." _Wrong. More like, "because I have the hots for him and I want you to break up _so_ badly."_

"I screwed up, Bella." Kate leaned on the bar, putting her head down on her crossed arms.

Bella took a deep, shaky breath and quickly decided to be the bigger person before she changed her mind.

"Well, Edward loves you." She shook her head as she spoke, hating every word that was coming out of her mouth. "If you told him the truth, I'm sure you could work it out. Why don't you just try? It was just the one time, right?"

Kate lifted her head slowly, looking at Bella. "Yeah, it was just the one time." But still, Kate sounded dejected.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. Something's different between Edward and me now. I can't quite put my finger on it, but…something has definitely changed."

Bella suddenly became nervous, and she could feel her palms getting very hot.

"What's changed?" she asked hesitantly.

"I don't know. We're just…different. And it's not just me, it's him too. Like we're growing apart, kind of."

"So what are you saying? You don't want to fix things?"

Kate paused, looking down at her hands.

"We haven't slept together since September. I have a single room, Bella. You can imagine the plans that we had for coming to college."

Bella cringed, not wanting to think about any of that, but also very relieved to hear that he hadn't been with her that way in so long.

"That's not too bad. I mean, college is a big change, right? Maybe you guys will get back into your groove."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Honestly though, Bella? I'm not sure I want to anymore."

"Kate…"

"And I don't even think Edward wants to either."

Bella took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Was this the end of them? Were they really breaking up?

"I've never had to break up with anyone before," Kate said, barely more than a whisper. "I don't know how."

"I can't help you there," Bella told her, mirroring her crestfallen demeanor.

"Not until after the holidays," Kate resolved. "Definitely not until after the holidays. Come on, we should go back."

And with that, Kate made her way back to Edward, snaking her arm around his waist and plastering a smile across her face. Edward looked surprised to see her sudden mood change.

Bella stood motionless, completely shocked for a brief moment.

"You okay, Bella?" a familiar voice asked. She looked up and saw Jacob's smiling face looking back at her.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Just…are you done with that?" she asked, turning to the guy next to her who was just about to drink the shot he ordered. She promptly took it out of his hand without waiting for his answer, shot it back, and slammed the glass on the counter.

"Another one for him, please," she waved at the bartender before swiftly walking back to the group.

Jacob was left behind, paralyzed by what just happened for a brief second before taking some money out of his wallet to pay for the guy's new drink.

As the evening progressed, Bella and Edward still kept a safe distance, but Bella noticed that Kate was much more at ease with Edward than she had been before they talked. She supposed it was Kate's uncertainty that had made her jittery around Edward. Now she was being kind and sweet to him again, almost as though she was trying to make their last days as a couple count.

As Bella was chatting with Rosalie and Emmett, she felt an arm worked its way around her waist from behind her and she stiffened. This was not a touch she recognized to be Jacob's.

"Hey there," the voice crooned.

Bella jumped and whipped her head in the direction of the culprit, only to find that it was Jasper, who immediately started laughing. Bella smacked him hard on the chest.

"Ow!"

"You totally freaked me out!"

"I know, that was hilarious!" He laughed heartily as Rosalie and Emmett chuckled at the exchange. "But seriously, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Bella huffed as she glared at him. "You could have asked normally," she grumbled.

They moved away from the group to a far corner of the bar.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked her eagerly.

"What are you talking about?"

"With Kate! What was that? Why did she pull you away like that?"

"You saw that?"

"Everyone saw that."

"I'm not telling you. You said you didn't want to be involved."

Jasper rolled his eyes. "That was before you volunteered me to be involved by telling me what she did when I asked you _not_ to."

Bella sighed, looking him right in the eyes before deciding to just tell him. "She wants to break up with Edward."

"What? Are you serious?"

Bella nodded. "She said they're growing apart."

"Shit."

"I know. She said she thinks Edward wants to break up too."

"She said that?"

"Yeah," Bella sighed. "I guess they're just…not the same as they used to be."

"Why do you sound so sad?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I just never expected them to break up. And now I'm with Jacob, and they _are_ breaking up, and I kind of feel responsible…"

"Bella, she _kissed_ another guy. She's the one who ended that relationship, right there."

She nodded.

"Would you dump Jacob if Edward wanted to be with you?"

Bella paused, a pained look on her face. "I don't want to be Edward's second choice."

"Jasper!" a voice boomed across the crowd. They both looked over to find Emmett waving them over. "Pool?"

Jasper nodded and gave a thumbs-up. "Come on, we'll talk about this later."

He wrapped his arm around Bella's shoulder and they joined the group once again.

As Jasper delivered Bella to Alice and Rosalie, giving Alice a sweet kiss before heading off to play pool, Bella caught Edward's eye. His expression was clearly asking her what was going on between her and Kate. He had to be wondering why they had been so secretive lately, but she was certainly not going to be the one to tell him.


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm back! And really looking forward to getting on with this story : ) Thanks for reading, and keep those awesome reviews coming ; )**

**(Don't forget: the characters and anything you recognize do not belong to me, I'm just having some fun with them!)**

**oxox**

* * *

**CHAPTER 9**

The holidays went by uneventfully. Bella and Jasper spent the majority of their time with their families, spending time with a few friends from high school in the mix. Well, Jasper saw his friends and dragged Bella along for the ride, even though she didn't quite care about any of those people.

She missed Edward terribly, and hated herself for even feeling that way. Regardless of what was going to happen between him and Kate, he was still attached to her. Not to mention Jacob, who called her every day to check in and tell her that he missed her. Oh boy.

One snowy evening, Bella and her parents had been spending the afternoon at Jasper's father's house. They were playing games and eating pizzas, when Jasper's cell phone began to chime. Since Jasper was in the middle of his turn and assumed it to be Alice calling, he asked Bella to pick it up.

Upon glancing at the call display, she saw that it was Edward and her face lit up.

"Hello?" she asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Um…sorry, I was trying to reach Jasper."

"No, no. It's Bella! Jasper's busy."

"Bella! Hey! How are you?" The enthusiasm in his tone sent her live-in butterflies aflutter.

"Great! How are your holidays going?"

"Good! Just the usual family stuff."

"Yeah, us too."

"Seriously?" Edward's muffled voice was saying off to the side. "Hang on a sec, Bella. Smaragdine. S-M-A-R-A-G-D-I-N-E. Smaragdine. Easy, guys." Then there was cheering in the background, followed by hearty laughter.

Bella ruffled her brow at the randomness of his conversation. Luckily, he offered an explanation so she wouldn't have to be nosey and ask.

"Sorry, Bella. My family thinks it's funny to ask me how to spell things."

She laughed. "Oh, are you some professional speller or something?"

"I'll have you know that I am my state's Spelling Bee Champion of 2004."

"You're kidding me!" Bella exclaimed, covering her mouth.

Edward laughed. "Seriously. I can assure you that I would never make that up."

"Edward," she said seriously. "I won the Washington State Spelling Bee in 2005."

Edward's laughter was so loud that he had to pull the receiver away from his mouth. "You're joking."

"Am not. What was your winning word?"

"Narcolepsy."

"Narcolepsy? That's so easy!"

"I know. I kind of feel ripped off. What was _your_ winning word, hot shot?"

"Xanthosis. And I didn't even have to ask them to use it in a sentence," she bragged.

"Xanthosis. X-A-N-T-H-O-S-I-S. Xanthosis."

Bella giggled. "Well done."

A throat cleared beside her, and she looked up to see Jasper, waiting to take his call.

"Oh. Um, Jasper's here now. I guess I'll talk to you later?"

"For sure. Later, Bella," and she could tell he was smiling.

"Later, Edward. It's Edward," she said, handing Jasper his phone.

"Yeah, thanks. Got it."

How long had he been standing there?

She left them to their conversation and re-joined the group, feeling unusually smiley for the rest of the day.

* * *

Bella felt good upon returning to campus after the holidays. She was really starting to think of New York as her home, and missed all of the friends she made there. Jasper was just as eager to get back to Alice, and it definitely made it easier to leave their families since they were doing it together. How could they ever have done college apart? The thought was too strange to even think about.

Bella's first order of business after getting settled in her dorm and unpacking was going for a nice wintery run through the freshly-snowed-on New York streets.

She took in the scenery around her, admiring the trees with a layer of fresh snow and breathed in the crisp city air as she ran back towards her dorm after a good 45-minute run. The sun was getting ready to make its way down, with the time pushing four o'clock, and it was already getting a little bit chillier.

As she crossed College Walk and approached the sundial, she noticed a familiar figure standing there. She smiled widely and began making her way over, when she noticed the person standing with him.

It was very clearly Edward and Kate, and they were very clearly in the middle of a serious conversation. They were holding hands. Bella stopped in her tracks, not wanting to interrupt, seeing what she was seeing. She was breathing heavy from her run, her visible breath floating around her.

She saw it all in slow motion. Edward pulling Kate into a tight hug, and Kate grabbing his face in her mittened hands and kissing him.

In the insulation of the new snow, everything seemed quieter than usual. It was like she was watching a silent movie of the boy she wanted making amends with his girlfriend.

Bella was fairly certain that she could actually feel her heart breaking.

Kate wasn't breaking up with Edward at all, like she said she was going to. And the saga would continue.

She mechanically turned around to run back in the direction she came, deciding to take a detour to her dorm so that they wouldn't see her. But the entire way, all she could do was replay the scene in her mind. They were making up. She wasn't leaving him.

_And what about Jacob?_ She reprimanded herself.

Right. Jacob. She had Jacob. Jacob, who cared about her and treated her well. Jacob, who was kind and sweet and smart and funny. Jacob, who made such an effort to get to know her friends. Everything about Jacob was perfect, on paper.

But still, she knew that losing Jacob wouldn't feel like _this_. She and Jacob weren't forever, that much was clearer to her now than ever. There was no way she would ever grow to feel this way about him, she was sure of it. Whatever it was that she felt for Edward, it was different – something that never even knew could possibly exist.

Feelings were feelings, she had always thought. Loving someone would feel the same way, no matter who it was. It would just be love, and that would be that. She understood it now. She was so clueless before, it was almost laughable. The feelings she had for these two different guys were just that – painstakingly different.

Bella liked Jacob. Very much, in fact. What was not to like? She had yet to learn one thing about him that really turned her off. He was a truly wonderful person.

But, Edward.

Edward.

His name, even in her thoughts, sent a chill down her spine. Gave her a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't shake. The thrill she got from seeing him was unlike any she had ever experienced before, even though he was so incredibly unattainable. His face was just plain perfect, made only more perfect by the way his hair messily splayed across his forehead and the way his glasses sat perched atop his nose.

When she returned to her dorm room, she slammed the door a little harder than necessary.

"Whoa, are you okay?" Rosalie asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Bella replied curtly, ripping off her hat and throwing it on the bed.

Rosalie just watched her moving around the room, a shocked look etched on her face. Bella was rarely in the type of bad mood that made her slam doors and throw things.

Bella tersely grabbed some clothes, slamming the drawer shut, and made her way into the bathroom, not looking at Rosalie once.

She took her shower, unable to shake what she just saw from her mind. She tried desperately to reason with herself, to make herself think about Jacob, her boyfriend. Try as she might, she could think of nothing else except for the fact that Edward would never be hers. Ever. It just wouldn't happen.

_You need to get over him, Bella. It's over. He's not leaving her and you have no choice but to deal with it. Oh, and don't forget about Jacob, you idiot._

The rest of her day was spent working a shift at the pizzeria, and luckily for her, it was a busy enough evening that it helped in keeping her attention focused on her job. Though she really tried to keep her mind off of Edward, that was inevitably where her thoughts would lead her.

Between pizza deliveries, Jasper leaned over the counter and whispered, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Sorry, I'm really distracted, aren't I?"

"Yeah, big time. You sure you're okay?"

She looked at him, contemplating whether or not to ask if he'd heard anything about Edward and Kate, but she somehow resisted.

She nodded, and he whispered a quick, "Okay" before grabbing his next delivery and heading out.

* * *

The following evening, the group found themselves at Quinn's once more. Bella and Jacob had arrived first, catching up on their holidays as they waited for everyone else.

Bella couldn't help her eyes as they trailed to the door when Edward walked in. She didn't want it to be obvious to Jacob that her attention was elsewhere, but try as she might, her eyes just kept wandering. Over and over.

Edward greeted everyone a little more somberly than his usual. Bella was curious about his mood as she scanned the bar for any sign of Kate. But Edward was alone.

The second Jacob left Bella's side, Edward was there taking his place.

"Hey," Bella smiled, putting on her best _friend_ face. She made a conscious effort _not_ to ask about Kate's whereabouts.

"Hey. Um, I need to talk to you."

"Is everything okay?"

"I just, I, um…I broke up with Kate."

Bella was speechless.

"Wait…what?"

"I broke it off. Yesterday."

Yesterday. But when? She saw them kissing. It didn't make sense.

"Oh." Lame answer. But what else was she supposed to say? "Um…well, are you okay?"

Edward nodded. "Sure, I'm fine. It was inevitable, I think."

She nodded in understanding, but Bella couldn't stop thinking about one very important detail. Did Edward break up with Kate, or did Kate break up with him? And why were they kissing? She saw it with her own eyes.

"Well, I mean, why did you…decide to end it?" She knew she was asking an inappropriate question. It wasn't any of her business, technically, why they broke up.

"You know why," he said, barely more than a whisper, diverting his gaze to the ground.

Her heartbeat picked up triple time. She wasn't even entirely sure she heard him, but if he just said what she though he said…well, she wouldn't allow herself to hope.

"Edward," she began, fidgeting with her fingers, trying to keep her hands off of him at all costs. She wanted to pull him into a tight, fierce embrace, but she fought it. She wanted to reach out and gently take his hand, feeling its warmth in hers…but she fought it.

His gaze snapped to her face upon hearing his name on her lips, but her eyes flickered to Jacob for a fraction of an instant, telling him everything he needed to know.

Bella had a boyfriend now. And things were going well. Was she supposed to drop Jacob now that Edward was single? She couldn't do that. She didn't even know where she stood with Edward. Breaking up with Jacob would send the wrong message to Edward, especially if he had no deeper feelings for her other than a good buddy.

Jacob's eyes met Bella's, and he smiled and waved at her. She waved back, though her lips barely curled up on one side in the most pathetic attempt at a smile in the history of the world.

She didn't know what to say to Edward. She didn't have a clue what he wanted her to say, how she should be reacting. She wanted to smile and laugh and celebrate, but that would be a tad insensitive.

"I'm sorry," she finally landed on. And it was just so utterly pathetic.

Edward nodded. "Yeah, I, um…just wanted to tell you."

Awkward. So painfully awkward.

* * *

A knock at Bella's door on Sunday afternoon interrupted her from her phone conversation with her parents.

"I'll call you guys later," she told them as she made her way to the door. "Love you too."

She hung up and swung the door open, frozen at the sight of who was standing in front of her.

"Kate. Hi. What are you doing here?"

"Bella. I have to talk to you."

_Oh God._

Bella let her in and they sat together on Bella's bed.

"You okay?" Bella asked, knowing exactly what this conversation would be about.

"Yes. I think so. No, I know so. I am. I'm fine." Kate took a deep breath before continuing. "I broke up with Edward."

Bella paused for a second, reflecting on her conversation with Edward the night before. He said _he_ was the one to do the breaking up.

"_You_ broke up with _him_?" she clarified, trying not to sound as anxious as she felt.

"Well, not exactly. I mean, it was mutual, I guess. Although technically he was the one to bring it up first. I mean, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I just kept putting it off. And then, two days ago, he asked me to go for a walk with him, and that's when he brought it up."

Bella let out the breath that she didn't realize she was holding.

"I was just relieved that he felt the same way, you know?"

"Yeah, totally. So, did he tell you why?"

"Um…kind of. He went on about how we had been drifting apart, and that even if we ended up at different schools, we would have ended up in the same position. He said he felt like we had fallen into this comfortable state together and didn't realize that there could have been other…options."

Kate paused, looking at Bella meaningfully. Bella didn't really know what she was supposed to say. She was still processing what Edward could have meant by "options".

"I wasn't sure if he knew about what I did at the Halloween party. Did he know?"

Bella shrugged, eyes wide. "No, I don't think so. At least _I_definitely didn't say anything to him. I promise."

"No, I believe you. Plus, he would never have let that go. He would have confronted me about it. Edward knows what he deserves, and he didn't deserve _that_." But she paused again, thoughtful. Quickly snapping out of it, Kate continued. "So I told him what happened. I just couldn't lie to him anymore."

"Was he mad?" Bella asked in a small voice. She felt very possessive of his feelings, all of a sudden. The thought of someone wronging him sent her adrenaline into overdrive.

"Yeah, a little. He was definitely upset. Said he couldn't believe I didn't tell him sooner. Said we probably should have been broken up for a while now. But not in a mean way," Kate was quick to defend him. "He was right. He was totally right."

"How…how are you?" Bella asked this mainly out of politeness than actually caring, which she knew was mean. But she cared more about Edward's feelings, and wanted to run to him to ask for the full story. They didn't really have much of a chance to talk about it at Quinn's.

"Okay, I guess. I'm kind of shocked, to be honest." And then Kate's eyes quickly filled with tears, and she wiped on away. "I think I just always assumed we'd end up married. Kids, a house, the whole thing. We'd been together forever. It was only natural that we would go to college together. I guess I just…never really expected us to go in different directions. But it was like coming here just opened our eyes to all these new things we didn't even know we wanted. You know? And it just turns out that…we don't want the same things. Ugh, I'm sorry I'm such a baby," she tried to smile, wiping at more fallen tears.

"No, no. That's okay. Of course you're sad. I don't mind." And Bella really didn't mind. Because she could see that Kate really did love Edward, and was sad that things ended that way for them. And Edward deserved that kind of love and respect. He was amazing and wonderful, and she was happy that Kate could say these things, even in the light of their break up. It actually comforted Bella to see her speaking so highly of her ex-boyfriend. It spoke volumes about Edward.

But it was true, they didn't know how truly different they were until they were taken out of their safety net and thrown into a brand new, giant, scary place.

"You're a great friend, Bella. Not just to me, but to Edward too. You guys really seem to have…connected."

Bella nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. Because they did connect. Deeply. And if things weren't complicated before, they were certainly complicated now.

Kate scrutinized Bella's face for another instant, but Bella gave nothing away. She took every ounce of energy she had to make _sure_ that she gave nothing away.

But Kate wasn't stupid, and she knew there was something between them. She knew deep down the real reason why Edward broke up with her. She knew that the instant Bella came in the picture, Edward had been forever changed. It was clear as day when he was talking about "options" that he meant one very specific option. Bella, on the other hand, seemed oblivious.

"I should go," Kate finally said, getting up.

"You can stay if you want," Bella offered, not wanting to rush Kate out of there after that talk.

"No, no, but thank you. And thank you for keeping my secret. I know it wasn't easy for you. But I really do appreciate it."

Bella bit back her admission that she had actually told Jasper. But Jasper was never one to tell secrets, and she knew for a fact that he never spilled the beans to Edward, so she kept her mouth shut.

Closing the door after Kate, she leaned back onto it with a huff, completely beside her self at what was happening.

They had broken up.

Edward was single.

He no longer belonged to someone else.

And she was with Jacob.

_Fuck_.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

The following weekend, there was a party. A new-semester party.

_People throw parties around here for the dumbest things_, Bella thought to herself.

And just like always, she was dragged, kicking and screaming, by the rest of her friends. Jacob was all for it, enjoying the company of the group and any chance to see Bella.

And Edward? Edward would be there too.

The evening progressed as anyone would have predicted of a college party: kegs, loud music, loud people, red Solo cups everywhere, sticky floors, and lots of drunken, stumbling college kids.

But this time, there was no Kate interrupting Bella and Edward at every turn. No, _this_ time, Jacob did one better, staying glued to her side the entire evening, blissfully ignorant to the guy who was ogling his girlfriend.

Bella liked Jacob's company. As much as she would usually rather choose to hang around Edward given the chance, once Jacob was around, she found herself genuinely having a good time. Genuinely wanting him there, and genuinely holding his hand and stealing a few kisses.

Maybe Jacob was good for her. He certainly didn't come with a truck-load of drama attached.

Fortunately and unfortunately, Jacob had to leave early, having to wake up early the next morning for a group project meeting.

He held Bella's face and kissed her a sweet goodbye, before waving to everyone else and telling them to have fun.

The second he was out the door, Edward was the first person she saw when she turned around to rejoin the group, and then it was like she had forgotten about everything else. It was just the two of them now, no boyfriends or girlfriends to interrupt with silly proposals of doing keg stands. And as much as Edward tried to respectfully keep his distance from Bella, he couldn't resist her grinning face when she approached his side.

"Wanna grab a drink with me?" she asked.

He grinned back, nodding, and off they went to begin their evening.

They started off drinking together, and when it was obvious that Bella was drinking a little too much, Edward stopped, opting for water instead. Jasper was in no state to make sure Bella made it home safely that night, and Emmett had already left with Rosalie. And he would be damned before he let her stumble back to her dorm all alone, late at night, in the state she was in.

* * *

"Whoa," Bella cried.

Edward's arms flung out impulsively to catch her before she hit the snowy ground. "I've got you," he said.

She steadied herself in his arms and looked up at him through hooded eyes.

"I've got you," he repeated, but it was no more than a whisper. And he didn't let go.

She could feel his breath on her face as he said the words. It paralyzed her, and all she could do was gaze up at his beautiful face, taking in each of his features one by one. His forehead, his strong eyebrows, his vibrant green eyes, his cheeks, his jaw line, his chin, his top lip, his bottom lip. Each one was better than the last.

In her inebriated state, she had no clue how long she was staring at him, and she didn't even care. She was in his arms and his face was so close to hers, so she took this opportunity to memorize every inch, with no interruption. He gazed back at her, at first trying to decipher what she was thinking as her eyes searched his face, but then deciding that he didn't care and enjoyed the view. Above all, even though she was drunk, he loved the way she looked at him.

Bella's tongue flicked out to quickly graze her bottom lip, and Edward's eyes followed the motion. His gaze lingered on her mouth for one more indulgent second.

"Bella," he breathed.

Her heart sped up. Drunk as she was, she had remembered what happened the last time he said her name like that, way back when. Jasper had flung the door open and they were abruptly interrupted. Would he finish his original thought now? Would he finally tell her what he was thinking?

"Yeah," she slurred, tripping over herself even though she was standing still. His hands tightened on her waist, and her breath became heavy.

There was a long pause. Or maybe it just felt long.

"It's cold out," he said simply.

"Yeah," she agreed.

"You're really drunk."

"Yeah."

"I'm taking you home." His voice was resolute, as he was clearly telling this to himself, not her.

She nodded, eyes still locked with his. "Okay."

He kept an arm wrapped around her shoulders, as he used his other one to hold onto her arm that was tucked into his side.

They walked silently; the only sound was the snow crunching under their boots in the quiet night. Edward's mind was screaming at him so loud he was surprised she couldn't hear it. If he had been trying to fight his feelings for her before, it was useless. He was falling harder for Bella every time he saw her. He didn't know why he ever even tried fighting in the first place.

His heart rate sped up every time Bella would fist his jacket to hold her balance, and by the time he reached her door, he was barely holding it together. She had never touched him this much, been this close to him.

He turned to her then, and felt his mind clear. The only thought he could focus on now was the strand of hair that was draped over her face. He reached his hand up and softly and slowly tucked the strand behind her ear. As she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, his eyes roamed her face, landing finally on her parted lips.

He only had to resist kissing her for a second before her eyes flitted open again and she swayed a little too far to the left, effectively losing her balance.

Edward's arms held her steady again, and the two laughed briefly at her heightened clumsiness.

"You should get inside," he told her. Because the longer they stood there together, the longer he had to keep reminding himself that she was drunk in order to keep from kissing her right there in the dorm hallway.

"Yeah," she smiled. "Thanks for walking me back."

"You're welcome."

She unlocked the door and turned her sleepy gaze back to him.

"Think you'll make it from here?" he asked, smiling down at her.

She nodded, smiling back timidly.

He waved a silent goodbye and walked away as she shut the door quietly behind her. She managed to take off her clothes and get into a comfortable t-shirt to sleep in before collapsing onto her bed.

Bella only had enough time to reflect on her blissful walk back to her dorm room and decide that it couldn't have been real, before she passed out.

* * *

Days turned to weeks, and with every passing day Edward suffered what Bella had suffered for months. He sat at the sidelines, watching her be with someone else, kicking himself for not ending it with Kate sooner, before Bella would have ever even met Jacob.

But he had to be sure. He had to be sure before he ended his one and only relationship, the one he always though would last forever.

He knew now that he was right, that he and Kate were never meant to grow old together.

But he was certain of his feelings for Bella. In fact, he had never been more certain about anything in his life.

So he would sit back, and he would wait. For as long as it took.

* * *

**Okay, I know this one was really short (I really can't believe how short), but the next one's good, I promise. Well, at least I think it is. It's the moment I've been waiting for! Can you feel it getting closer? Because it is. It really, really is.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Let's do this.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 11**

"I'm not this person, Edward. I am _so_ not this person," she cried, her voice frantic and shrill.

"I know, Bella. I know you're not," he tried fervently to reassure her.

"No. You don't understand. All I could think of, Edward, after the fact, was that I was terrified that you'd think I was one of those people. One of those people who could have a boyfriend and then go around kissing other guys. Because that's not me, Edward, it's just not me."

"Bella, I know. I promise you, I could never think that of you." His voice conveyed his desperation.

"And then it hit me, Edward. _That_ was what I was upset about? Not the fact that I _cheated_? Not the fact that he will dump me the second he finds out? Nope. I was upset because of what _you'd_ think of me. _You_, Edward. That is so wrong. It's backwards and it makes no sense and I'm almost disgusted with myself for not knowing what my priorities should be.

"And _you_. You kissed me even though I'm with someone else. You put me in this awful position and turned me into one of those _people_." She took a breath and shook her head, staring down at the ground ahead of her, confounded by it all. "I want to hate you so much, Edward. I just…_wish_ I could hate you." She looked at him finally.

"Bella," he began softly. "I'm sorry. I'm so, _so_ sorry. I never wanted to make you feel this way. I was selfish, and I should never have kissed you. I don't want you to regret it. And I could never, _ever_, think badly of you, Bella. Ever. I know you're not one of those people. No one ever has to find out about this, I will take it to the grave, I swear."

"Edward, I just…I never wanted it to happen that way with us." Her voice was quiet now. She couldn't look at him as she said it, so she looked at her fidgeting fingers.

He nodded in agreement. "I know. And I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too."

"I never wanted to make you feel this way," he said quietly. "It was just…a mistake."

Bella's eyes shot up to meet his, though he was looking at the ground in front of him. _A mistake?_ _Wait, a mistake to kiss me?_

Her silence prompted him to look up from the spot on the floor. The look on her face took him by surprise. She looked anxious. She looked…hurt.

"A mistake," she repeated.

"Look at what it's done to you, Bella. Look what _I've_ done to you."

"That's not what I…I wasn't…"

"Maybe we should, I don't know, cool it for a while." Tears sprung quickly to her eyes and she fought desperately to keep them at bay. The sadness all but choked her.

She nodded.

"This," he motioned towards her, "is not what I want to see. And I caused it. And I'm sorry. You'll never know how sorry, Bella."

Though he wasn't her first kiss, he wanted to be her first love. He wanted to be the one to sweep her off her feet, protect her from the world, show her all of the wonderful things that she deserved. He wanted to be it all for her. But his selfish impulse ruined everything.

He turned to leave, but only got as far as a few steps. She watched his retreating figure sadly, the tears slowly gaining the upper hand.

She struggled.

Edward turned back to her one more time. "Bella. I promise you, if I could take it all back, I would. In a heartbeat." The hurt she felt upon hearing those words was crushing, until he spoke again. "I would do it the right away, Bella. I would make it perfect. I'm sorry."

_He would do it the right way_, she repeated to herself. The relief was overwhelming. _He would do it again. _

She nodded, afraid to blink so as to not give her tears an opening.

His parting smile was sullen, and cut through her heart like a knife.

She could have reacted differently. She didn't need to freak out like that. He kissed her because he wanted to. He wanted her. If she had reacted differently, she could have just broken up with Jacob and they could have been together. Instead, she ruined it, and now Edward wanted to cool it for a while.

She stood motionless, watching him leave her as she gave way and let the tears spill silently down her cheeks the second the door shut behind him.

.

_The previous evening, Bella was getting up to leave after they had finished watching two more episodes of _Lost_. _

_Edward had made a joke about the one they just finished. She had giggled._

_She walked to the door where Edward was standing and grabbed her boots. She bent down to put them on and once they were tied tightly, she stood up._

_But when she looked up at him, she stopped short before reaching for her coat. She saw that he hadn't put his coat or boots on yet to walk her back to her dorm. He was close to her though, looking at her, the smile slowly fading from his lips._

_Her heart began beating wickedly in her chest. She couldn't look away from the eyes that were gazing back at her, in a way that she had never seen before. She knew this look. It had given her the same feeling as the one Jacob had given her right before he leaned in…_

_Only this time there wasn't an ounce of doubt in her mind of what she wanted. Everything else in the world had slipped away, everything else but him._

_He licked his lips. She swallowed hard._

_Before she could think, Edward's hand had made its way to the back of her neck, gently pulling her towards him as he pressed his lips against hers. Gently but firmly. She all but melted into a puddle on the ground. Her knees were weak and her stomach fluttered, her heart pounding wildly. _

_As his tongue grazed her bottom lip, she sighed as she parted her mouth for him. His mouth and tongue moulded to hers as though there were puzzle pieces, finally fitting together perfectly to complete a long-unfinished picture. _

_Their mouths moved together softly, adeptly – as expertly as if they had done this a million times before. Bella melted into him as she felt his other hand on her hip, pulling her closer to him before sliding gently across her back, holding her tightly. She lost herself entirely in the warmth of his hands, his mouth, his body._

_It was soft, deep, passionate, gentle, powerful. Perfect._

_Time had stood still, and neither of them knew how much time had actually passed – how long they were standing at the door, kissing in the late-night hour._

_Bella's hands made their way up his chest until they reached his shoulders, where she slid them further to his neck and into his hair and pulled him even closer still, though it could never be close enough. _

_The buzzing of Edward's cell phone put an end to that remarkable kiss. They broke apart slowly, reluctantly, and stared into one another's eyes as their hands slid away from the warmth of each other's bodies. _

_The phone buzzed once more. As Edward grudgingly reached down to grab it off his bed, Bella's touched her lips softly with her fingertips, closing her eyes as she reflected on what had just transpired between them. Her tears were dangerously close to the surface._

"_Jasper's staying with Alice," he said in a low voice, reading the text message._

"_Oh," was all she could reply. _

"_Bella," he began, but she cut him off. If Jasper wasn't coming back, that meant she wouldn't have to leave. And she _had _to leave. She grabbed her jacket swiftly._

"_I have to go."_

_Edward didn't know what to say, since all he wanted to say was for her to stay. He watched her open the door and step into the hallway._

"_I'll walk you," he offered, knowing how late it was and desperate to be with her._

"_No," she said suddenly. "No. It's okay."_

_He nodded, dejected, and didn't press the matter, knowing something wasn't right. She had never turned down his offer to walk her home. _

_She walked away without another word, as he watched her disappear into the stairwell. _

_All he could do was berate himself for what just happened. _What have I done?

.

After half a minute of allowing herself to cry over Edward, her thoughts shifted suddenly. Bella needed to apologize, to tell him she didn't want to cool it, that she wanted to see him and be his friend. She felt desperate to make it right, to not lose him over something like this.

Bella made her way to the door tentatively, not knowing what she would say or how she would say it, but knowing that she needed to talk to him as soon as possible.

She opened the door and inhaled sharply in surprise, finding Edward standing there, leaning on her door frame.

They stared at each other for a long moment.

"You kissed me back," Edward said.

Bella nodded.

"You kissed me back, Bella."

"I did."

She knew what he was telling her. She had no right to be mad at him when she willingly and eagerly kissed him back. She made no move to stop it from happening because she wanted it. She was equally as guilty as he was, and they both knew it.

They stared at each other for another long moment, just looking at each other, neither of them saying another word.

"I shouldn't have," she finally said.

Edward closed his eyes against her words. "But you did," he said. "And I get that you regret it because you have a boyfriend and you feel bad, but Bella –"

"I shouldn't have taken it out on you," she told him.

_You feel something too_. Only he couldn't bring himself to say this out loud.

Silence fell once again between them.

"Edward?"

They both turned, startled, towards Rosalie's voice. Bella's heart was beating furiously and she suddenly became very nervous that Rosalie had heard everything.

Rosalie eyed the two suspiciously as she took in Edward's anxious stance and Bella's red-rimmed eyes.

"Is everything okay?" Rosalie asked slowly.

"Yeah, I was just leaving," Edward said. He turned briefly to Bella. "Um…I guess I'll see you around."

Bella nodded. "See ya."

"Bye, Rosalie," he said quickly as he disappeared down the hall.

Rosalie watched him walk away before turning to Bella, hurrying inside and closing the door.

"What's wrong, Bella? What happened?"

Rosalie couldn't fathom the idea of Edward ever upsetting Bella, let alone making her cry.

Bella tried desperately to think of a lie to tell her roommate, her friend. But Bella was never much of a liar, so none came. _What the hell_, she thought, _I might as well just tell her_.

"Edward kissed me," she said tentatively, unsure of what type of reaction Rosalie would have.

"Really?" she asked, wide-eyed and _completely_ shocked.

Bella nodded.

Rosalie paused, going through something in her head. "Okay, so…is this a bad thing? I thought you wanted this."

"I did. I _do_. But, Rosalie, what about Jacob? I'm still _with_ him, you know," Bella said, as though it should have been obvious to Rosalie.

"Oh. Right." Rosalie's excitement was deflated. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet." She paused for a second, and then shook her head, disgusted with herself.

"Well, who do you want to be with?"

Bella looked at Rosalie, trying to come up with an answer.

Did she want to be with Jacob? Yes…and no.

Did she want to be with Edward? Yes…and no.

Edward was complicated. She couldn't just dump Jacob and then start something up with him. That would be wrong. It would be rushed. She didn't want to make any mistakes with Edward. Definitely not.

And being with Jacob would be temporary, at best, and she knew that. It would only be a matter of time before things would inevitably end with them. But he was a good person, and didn't deserve this.

Bella shook her head and picked up her phone to send a text.

_Dinner tonight?_

_Plans with Alice._

_Please, Jasper? _

She had to wait a full minute before the next reply. She knew he grasped the desperation, she wouldn't have pushed otherwise. And he was rearranging his plans. Best friend ever.

_Got it. Quinn's at 6?_

Bella sighed, relieved that he would be there for her today. She needed him more than ever.

* * *

"I'll have a root beer, please," Bella asked the server.

"What?" Jasper looked at her in confusion.

"Thought I'd try something different," she replied glumly, shrugging.

"Oh." He considered this. "I'll have a Coke, please."

The server told them she'd be right back and then she was gone.

"This should be interesting," Jasper said, raising his eyebrows at Bella. They had never switched drink orders. Jasper had never even seen Bella take a sip of root beer in their whole lives.

They made idle chit chat until their drinks came and they placed their orders.

They each took a sip of their drinks at the same time, pausing to reflect on the taste.

"Nope," they said simultaneously, and swapped. There, that was better.

"So, what's up, Bella?" Jasper's words were casual, but his eyes and his tone were concerned.

She sighed.

"Edward kissed me last night."

Jasper's eyes grew wider than she had ever seen.

"Fuck. Seriously? If you're messing with me, I might kill you."

She shook her head somberly. "Nope. Totally serious."

"Bella, what happened?"

"I was at your place watching Lost with him, and right before I left, he just grabbed me and kissed me."

"What? What did you do?" Jasper sounded slightly angry, and Bella realized that he could have construed her explanation as Edward forcing himself on her.

"I, uh…kissed him back." Her voice was small.

"Bella," Jasper trailed off.

"I know," she assured him firmly, before he could remind her about Jacob. "I know."

"Well, let's start with this. How did you feel afterwards?"

"Happy. And guilty. And disappointed with myself."

"But, happy nonetheless."

She nodded.

"And if he wanted to kiss you again, you'd say…"

"I have to break up with Jacob first."

"But you want to. Kiss him again." He already knew her answer; he was just looking for confirmation.

"Yes. It was…God! It was…_wow_. Jasper, I can't even…it was…"

"Okay, okay, I get it. I don't need the play by play."

"Jacob doesn't deserve this, Jasper."

"No, he doesn't. But this was a long time coming."

Bella looked up at him in question. Did he really think this would end up happening?

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, come on. You _really_ didn't see this coming?"

She shrugged, waving him off, too frustrated to even think about that. It had already happened and now she had to deal with it.

Jasper leaned on the table. "Okay, let's look at this way. What do you see for you and Jacob? Does this ruin your big happily ever after with him? Because if it does, I'm _sure_ there's a way to make it right."

"No. I really don't know what this is with Jacob. I mean, he's so great. _So_ great. I really do like everything about him. I just don't have that…feeling. You know?"

Jasper nodded, because he did know. Alice gave him that feeling ten times over. And as soon as Bella had her issues squared away, he would tell her that wanted to tell Alice he loved her.

"But what is this with Edward? Was it partially just the thrill of the chase? I mean, be honest. Because you seem upset now, when I thought you'd be flying high at the mere _idea_ of kissing Edward Cullen."

"Jasper, he _just_ got out of a very serious relationship with Kate. If we start something now, how could it end well? I don't want to be his rebound. I can't…I don't want to. It's kind of a mess now, no?"

"Okay, fair. It's a bit of a mess. But, Bella, you're overthinking this."

"Because I don't want to mess it up," she whispered desperately.

Jasper sat back in his chair, eyeing Bella for a moment before asking his next questions.

"Do you…love him?"

Bella was caught off guard, and her whole demeanor showed it.

"Love him? That's…I don't know. I mean, I can't believe how much I _like_ him. It's kind of overwhelming, actually. But, is this love? Is this what love feels like?"

But she knew deep down, when Jasper uttered the L-word, that was exactly how she felt. She could never put her feelings into words, not even contemplating being in love with someone that wasn't hers. But that was precisely what this was. It was love.

He watched as her forehead smoothed and realization hit her.

"I love him."

He paused again, and she looked up at him, recognizing that he hadn't said anything in a while. His face looked torn, like he was trying to figure out how to say something.

Finally, he looked at her.

"Bella, I have to tell you something. And I want you to know that I didn't tell you before because he was with Kate and I didn't know what would happen with you guys, and I didn't want to make it harder on you."

Bella just nodded, suddenly nervous.

"When we first got here and Edward and I were getting to know each other, he talked about Kate. Like, _all_ the time. He didn't even realize he was doing it. She was this person in his life who was a huge part of it and he just always talked about her."

Bella strained to not look pained by this. Why was he telling her this?

"But after he met you, he barely mentioned her name anymore. The stories stopped. He only talked about her when he had to, when he was asked about her. It was…_so_ obvious. That's why I was so worried, Bella. I knew you were wedging yourself between them without even knowing it, and I didn't want you get yourself in deeper than you already were. I didn't want you to be responsible for their break-up, because you never would have forgiven yourself.

"And I wanted you to be happy, Bella, I really did. I still do. And I love Edward, he's an awesome roommate and an awesome friend. Couldn't have been luckier getting to room with him.

"But you're my priority, Bella. I couldn't stand back and watch you get trampled, so I did what I could to keep you as far from the middle as possible. And you know what? I think I did a damn good job, too. You were mad at me every single time we talked about it, but I _knew_ it was sticking with you. Lucky for us, Kate majorly fucked up and doomed that relationship to hell all on her own.

"So, I'm sorry if I've been upsetting you the last few months with my negativity. But I was thinking of you, Bella, every day, I really was. First and foremost. You're always first. Well, you and Alice," he smirked.

"Jasper," she began, but he cut her off, knowing she was going to thank him and say how great he was and tell him she loved him.

He stared at his food and kept picking away at his fries as he spoke.

"No, Bella. You have no idea what you did for me all our lives. I wasn't always the outgoing, social kid you knew. You built me up, and you don't even know it. You made me who I am. You're the greatest friend. Just…the greatest."

Bella had tears in her eyes, but she knew Jasper would kill her if she got up and gave him a hug in the middle of Quinn's.

So instead, she took his hand, effectively cutting him off from his fries, and forcing him to look at her.

In a hushed voice, she spoke.

"I love you, Jasper. And I want to hug your face off so bad right now."

He smiled, shaking his head, and they continued eating in comfortable silence.

He knew how much she really did love him, and it warmed him up. Friendships like theirs were hard to come by.

* * *

**Did you like it? Hate it? Wish it happened differently? Let me know what you think...I hope you enjoyed it! : )**


	12. Chapter 12

**I am so SO sorry for the delay in posting. Truth is, I got caught up in a fic (Dusty by YellowBella) that had me completely captivated. And it's completely unlike anything I write, so I was having a hard time getting back in the fluffy headspace that is The Freshmen, and I just Couldn't. Stop. Reading. **

**If you'd like to check it out, go for it. It's fabulous! Much more hard core than any of my stories, and very well written. Brings out a lot of emotions for the reader, whether or not you've been through something like it. Loved it!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 12**

"What will you do now?" Jasper asked her as they walked.

"I have to talk to Jacob, I guess."

"And this is what you want?"

"Definitely."

"Okay. Good luck," he said, squeezing her hand.

"Thanks. I'm gonna need it," she replied, and began heading into Jacob's dorm building.

"Wait," Jasper said, stopping her. His tone caught her off guard.

Bella looked at him with concern. "Yeah?"

"I'm going to tell Alice I love her. I love her. Is that weird?"

Bella's wide eyes and bright smile comforted him. "Of course that's not weird. Jasper, that's amazing. It's wonderful!" She pulled him into a tight hug.

"Think she'll say it back?" she asked him with a smirk, knowing for sure that Alice would definitely be saying it back.

He shrugged. "I hope so. But even if she doesn't, I still do."

Bella grinned at him. Jasper wouldn't be disappointed.

"She's pretty amazing, Jasper," Bella told him, matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, she definitely is."

"Wow, did you ever think you'd meet someone and fall in love in your _first_ semester of college?"

Jasper belted out a laugh. "No! It totally messed up my big college bachelor plans."

Bella sighed. "I am so happy Alice showed up in your life. There's this whole new side of you that I've never gotten to see before! I love Jasper-in-love!"

"Shut up. Jasper-in-love is still cool. Right?"

"Oh, sure. Still cool, but a little mushier and fuzzier." She poked him in his side. "Jeez, I'm the worst friend. I didn't even ask you about Alice," she said, hitting his arm.

"Don't do that, Bella. I understand where your head's been. And Alice and I have been great. What would there be to ask about?"

"I guess. I'm still sorry. I promise to stop being so selfish."

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Really, don't worry about it. Come on, get upstairs. Get this over with."

"'Kay. Going to meet up with Alice?"

"Of course," he grinned. "Where else would I be going?"

They parted ways and Bella trudged up the stairs to Jacob's room, not having a clue what she would say to him.

_How do you break up with someone?_ _What do I say? _Surely there was no easy way to do this.

She knocked hesitantly on the door, half-hoping he wasn't there.

He was.

And when he swung the door open and grinned excitedly when he saw it was her, she had never felt like a more horrible person.

It was awkward and difficult, but she managed. She told him everything. Even about the kiss. Especially about that. He was obviously upset. Bella felt horrible for deliberately hurting someone like that.

She replayed bit of their conversation in her head as she left, feeling undeniably relieved, but horrible at the same time.

"_So he kissed you, so what? We can get past that."_

He had all but begged her to stay with him.

"_I thought we had something pretty amazing here, Bella. I don't understand."_

"_Where is this coming from? Edward? Why him?"_

"_What did I do, Bella? Did I do something wrong? I can fix it, whatever it is."_

It was the hardest conversation she'd ever had in her entire life, and it made her feel horrible. She tried fervently to reassure him that he did absolutely nothing wrong. That what happened really had nothing to do with him, but with things that were happening before she had even met him.

Breaking up sucked, plain and simple.

And just as she was starting to relax her shoulders and revel in the fact that it was over and done with, she heard her name being called behind her.

She turned around.

"Jacob," she said in disbelief. He was outside in the freezing cold without so much as a jacket, his breath visible in the air as he jogged towards her. "What are you doing? You'll freeze."

"I can't let you go, Bella," he said, effectively cutting her off.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking into his eyes before she spoke. "You have to, Jake."

"Can't we figure this out? I mean, don't you want to?"

The million dollar question. Did he _want_ her to tell him the truth? Because, no, she did not _want_ to figure this out.

"Jacob. Please. I'm sorry. I just...I can't be with you." Her voice trailed off into a whisper. Did he have to keep dragging this out? She felt horrible enough as it was.

He just nodded.

"I had to try one last time," he said sullenly.

"You're an amazing guy, Jake," she began. And it was the truth. He really was. "You will make a great girl very happy one day. And that's why this is so hard for me. You're too good of a person. I should never have dragged this on like I did. I just thought…I just thought…you'd be able to detach me from him."

"But I couldn't."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"Me too." He made no move to leave, but instead looked her in the eyes as he seemed to be thinking about something. "So that's it?"

Bella nodded sadly "Yeah, Jake. That's it."

He nodded back at her and began taking a few steps backwards before saying, "See you around, Bella."

He ran back inside as she watched, feeling even worse than before, if that was even possible. But she couldn't think about it long, because now it was time to go the one she was hoping would have her.

_He _was waiting…hopefully.

* * *

She stood in the hallway for a minute before knocking, trying to get herself ready for the rejection that might be facing her on the other side. She may have very well ruined things completely, and she had to be ready for that.

She knocked softly, biting her thumb nail while she waited for Edward to open the door. She didn't have to wait long at all, before he was right in front of her, wearing flannel pyjama pants, a t-shirt, and barefoot. His hair was its usual mess, and of course there were the glasses. She was momentarily paralyzed with the sight in front of her before she remembered why she was there.

"I broke up with Jacob," she breathed.

His eyes widened briefly before narrowing. "Oh."

"Yeah. Um…"

"Do you want to come in?" he asked, moving aside so that she could step in.

She nodded, smiling in relief. He was letting her in. That was good, right?

He shut the door behind her and there they were, standing at the door like they had the night before, when everything changed.

"Want to sit?" he asked, motioning to Jasper's bed, her usual spot.

She nodded, and Edward sat down opposite her on his own bed.

"I'm sorry," she began.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he said simply.

"I do. I shouldn't have reacted like that."

"I understand why you did. I should never have put you in that position."

"I put myself in that position."

"I kissed you, Bella. I hardly think that was appropriate."

"I kissed you, too. I didn't have to."

A pause.

"Then why did you?" His voice was low. That one question officially opened the doors to an honest conversation about what this was. What they were. "Why ruin what you had with Jacob?"

"I wanted to." Her voice was equally quiet.

"You did?" he looked up at her.

She nodded.

"Since the first time I saw you," she admitted.

He smiled, though he looked down in an attempt to conceal it. Now wasn't the time for that.

"Same. Since the first time I saw you," he told her seriously.

And then he ran his hand through his hair and she just about lost her mind.

"It was really hard for me. You being with Kate. I hated myself for wanting to be with you."

"I know. I'm sorry I didn't break up with her sooner, I just…"

"I know. You couldn't. I was a stranger, and she was…."

"Yeah."

Another pause.

"So, anyways, I just thought you should know. About Jacob."

"Thanks for coming over. And sorry that I…complicated things."

"You didn't. You simplified them."

He looked into her eyes then, surprised at that statement, and she smiled. He smiled back.

And then they just started talking.

They talked and talked about their childhoods, their families, their favourite things, their lives back home.

They talked until they were both comfortably lying down on the beds they had been sitting on, talking more through their yawns.

The next thing they knew, there were being awoken by the sunlight streaming through the window. When had they fallen asleep? Did they even say goodnight?

They looked at one another groggily across the room.

"Morning," Edward said in his sleep-voice.

"Morning," she smiled. "We totally fell asleep."

"Yeah."

"I should probably, um, go."

"Okay." But it wasn't okay. He really wanted her to stay and never leave.

She sat up and stretched, finding her shoes on the floor by the bed with her feet.

"I guess Jasper stayed at Alice's last night," Bella noted.

Edward picked up his phone and noticed a missed text from Jasper, "Yup," he confirmed, holding up the phone.

"Mind if I use the washroom quickly?"

"Nope, all yours."

Bella hastily made her way to the washroom, checking herself out and being completely disgusted with what she saw. She scowled at herself in the mirror before attempting to do _something_ with her hair and giving her face a quick wash.

When she emerged, with impeccable timing, Jasper was walking through the door. He raised an eyebrow at her when he saw her there, still in the same clothes as last night.

Bella rolled her eyes at him, knowing exactly what his conclusion would be. "I slept on your bed, I hope that's okay," she told him by way of explanation.

"No problem, Bells," he told her in a lighthearted – and relieved – tone.

"How was Alice's?" Bella asked him with a grin.

"Awesome," he grinned back. They would discuss later, but she took his answer as a sign that Alice had said it back.

As Bella slipped on her coat, she noticed Edward doing the same. She eyed him quizzically.

"I'm walking you home," he said simply. She smiled.

They walked mostly in silence, and Edward finally worked up the nerve to say what he was going to say as they approached Bella's door.

"Um, Bella. I, um…"

He closed his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, before once again running his hands through his hair and sliding his glasses up on his nose.

She waited patiently, though she was growing more nervous by the second the more he fidgeted.

He cleared his throat.

"I thought that, maybe, we should just hang out together, like with our friends. For a while. Just because, well, I don't want to rush into anything just yet and I want to do this right, and I'm just not sure I can…"

"Sure," she said, cutting him off of his rambling.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. It's a good idea. We'll just, you know, hang out. No big deal."

But Bella was smiling, because they both knew that going forward, they would be _exclusively_ hanging out.

And Edward smiled back, relieved that Bella wasn't into rushing into things with him.

"We need to just…start over. From the beginning," she reassured him.

"Right. The beginning," he repeated, liking the term she used. The beginning of this, the beginning of them.

Edward said goodbye with a kiss to her cheek, and she entered her dorm with a silly grin on her face as she shut the door.

"Where the hell were you last night?" Rosalie demanded from her desk. She wasn't studying, wasn't reading. She was just sitting.

"Um. I was with Edward actually. _Not_ in the way that you're thinking," she tagged on as Rosalie opened her mouth to squeal.

"Well, a text would have been nice," she huffed. "I was going to give you," she paused, looking at the time on her phone, "twenty-six more minutes before calling out a search party."

Bella smiled. "Sorry. You're right, I should have texted."

"So what's going on?" Rosalie asked, switching gears completely. She shifted to her bed, leaning eagerly towards Bella to get the full story.

Bella sat down on her bed opposite Rosalie, and smiled. "Well, nothing, right now. We're going to hang out."

Rosalie's eyes were imploring her to continue, and when she didn't, Rosalie spoke.

"I don't get it."

"There's not much to get. We're just going to, like, hang out and stuff. Take things slow."

"Well what about Jacob?"

Bella sighed, remembering that awful conversation.

"I broke up with him."

"Oh, Bella. I'm sorry. How did he take it?" Rosalie's voice was full of concern, knowing Bella was very much not a breaker-upper.

"Not great. But, I mean, what else could I have expected?"

"I guess. But you did it. And now it's done."

"Now it's done. And I'm thinking we should call Alice to get together for lunch, because I think she has something to tell us, too." Bella grinned, knowing she'd get way more details from Alice than Jasper, and desperately wanting to know all about his big confession.

Rosalie grinned. "I'm on it."

* * *

**I'm sorry! I know, I know. I was going to make them just jump right in with a really passionate kiss and a perfect little relationship, but I couldn't! I just didn't think that was very realistic. They've been after each other for months, but now they each have some baggage that they need to get over. If we want them to last forever, we'll need to take things slow ; )**

**But I'm really happy for Jasper, I must say. : P**


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

Over the next couple of months, the weather turned warmer, the snow was melting, and Bella and Edward kept up their painfully slow courtship.

Courtship. That's what it felt like to Bella. Sometimes she would giggle to herself about it, when she wasn't in complete agony over how badly she _wanted_ him.

It almost felt like Edward was courting her in the safety of a large group of people, and Jasper was kind of like their chaperone. Someone Edward had to impress in order for Jasper to give his blessing.

Realistically, it wasn't like that. Jasper's blessing wasn't needed at all, and the slow pace of their progressing relationship? Bella liked it, regardless of how hard it was sometimes. She wanted everything about them to be sure. And it was. It was very, very sure.

They still did spend their fair share of time alone together. Studying at the library, going for lunch in the University hall, watching _Lost_ like they had always done.

Edward always found ways to touch her. His hand would brush the back of hers, or he would sit close enough that their arms or knees were touching. They held hands sometimes, though briefly, but the kissing was definitely on hold. It drove them both completely insane, but they knew the physical would have to wait.

And it waited, and waited.

As they walked back to their dorms after studying for an exam one sunny April afternoon, Edward casually took her hand, lifting it up in front of him and fidgeting with her fingers.

She was smiling, lost in the feeling of his gently hands on hers.

"I'd like to take you out on a date," he told her, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye with a smirk on his face. "If that's okay with you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Hm," she pretended to contemplate this. "I think I would definitely be okay with that."

"You think?"

"I know. I would _definitely_ be okay with that."

His smile grew wider, and he settled his hands back between them, gripping tightly to one another as though this milestone entitled them to _really_ hold hands.

"Alright, then," he said, pleased with this new progression.

"So where will you take me on this _date_?"

He looked and her and said, through his laughter, "I have no idea."

She laughed with him.

"Well, Edward, for what it's worth, I really don't care where we go. As long as I get a kiss goodnight."

He smiled widely at her. "That, I can do."

* * *

That very weekend, they had their first official date. Bella scrutinized for hours on what to wear, glad that she started thinking about it days in advance, because now she only had four hours to go and was slightly panicking.

"Rosalie, help me," she said desperately.

"Me? I think you're losing it. This is not my department. Unless you want to wear some khakis and an olive-green organic cotton t-shirt. Oh, wait! I have dresses. I totally have dresses."

She proceeded to go through her closet, picking out a few dresses that were quite worn out, and all earthy, brownish, greenish tones. Bella was sure that one of them used to be an oversized t-shirt that she had sewn into a makeshift dress.

"All organic cotton?" Bella asked flatly.

"This one's hemp, actually."

"I'll call Alice, but thank you."

"Good idea."

And even though Alice was with Jasper at the time Bella called, she squealed and jumped at the chance to help Bella get ready.

"Hair and makeup too?" she had asked over the phone.

Bella rolled her eyes, not having time to argue. "Fine. But please hurry."

Less than 20 minutes later, Alice and Jasper showed up at Bella's door.

"What are you doing here?" Bella asked Jasper. This guy must _really_ be in love if he was willing to sit through this.

"Alice said my opinion would be helpful. So, here I am," he said, holding out his arms as if presenting himself.

Bella nodded, impressed. "That's not a bad idea, actually. Thanks, Alice!"

"Okay, now I brought over only a few key pieces, because I figured you'd want to wear what you have. You know, since you're just natural and easygoing and stuff. Not a lot of frills, right?"

"Right," Bella agreed. Alice loved using Bella as her dress-up doll, but Alice worked with Bella's style, which was why Bella let her.

"I'm going to go through your clothes, pick out a few things and then you can start trying stuff on," Alice enthused, clapping her hands in front of her chest. "But first, go wash your hair and I'll give you a blow-out."

Bella obliged, knowing full well that she was desperate and in no place to argue.

Once the hair was done – Alice always gave the best blow-outs – Bella tried on three outfits before Jasper began arguing.

"You _know_ Edward doesn't care about any of this, right? He won't care what you're wearing tonight. Please tell me you know that you're wasting your time."

Bella, Alice and Rosalie all paused to look at him.

"Jasper! She has to wear something that will make her feel _good_. This is a date, not a study session at the library. She needs to feel…date-ish." Alice explained the situation as calmly as possible.

"Alright, alright. I'm just saying…" but he was smiling at Alice, who was smiling at him.

_Those two_.

Bella's phone rang sometime between the fourth and fifth outfit, and when she saw that it was Edward, she gulped hard and became nervous. Her face fell as she assumed that he must be calling to cancel, and she slipped out into the hallway to take the call privately.

"Hello?" she answered once she was safely in the hallway, a nervous edge to her tone.

"Hey," Edward's smiling voice came through on the other end, calming her instantly.

"Hey," Bella breathed. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to say hi. I'm, um, really looking forward to seeing you tonight."

Bella beamed at this admission and tried to keep her voice level, though she wanted to scream out of pure excitement. "Yeah, me too."

"Are you having a good day?"

"Yeah. It's slow, though."

"Mine too."

She could hear that his smile matched hers.

They said goodbyes with promises to see one another soon, and Bella floated back into her dorm.

"Who was that?" Jasper asked, though he already knew based on the look on Bella's face.

"Edward," she grinned.

"What did he want?"

"He wanted to tell me he was really looking forward to seeing me tonight." Bella shook her head, unable to stop smiling, completely incredulous that this was her reality.

Rosalie and Alice _aww_-ed in unison as Bella giggled.

Jasper nodded, visibly impressed with Edward's move.

When the girls were finally settled on an outfit, Alice got to work on Bella's makeup. Jasper stuck around even though he wasn't needed anymore, and Rosalie called Emmett to come keep him company.

"I feel like I'm 13 and I'm going to my first dance with a boy," Bella mused as she sat still for Alice, who was applying her blush. "You really don't _all_ have to be here, you're making this into a way bigger deal."

"Oh, but this _is _a big deal. Our little Bella is growing up so fast," Jasper teased.

The couples made plans to go to a movie that evening, telling Bella that if she and Edward wanted, they should meet them at Quinn's after their date.

At precisely seven o'clock, there was a knock on the door. And although Bella had seen him almost every single day for the last couple of months, her stomach flip-flopped and her heart rate picked up.

She got up to open the door, but Jasper beat her to it, holding his hand up towards her in a halting motion. Bella rolled her eyes.

Edward was startled upon seeing everyone inside. "Oh. Hey, guys. I, um…"

"I'm ready, Edward," Bella said, grabbing her purse and pushing her way past Jasper.

"Don't stay out too late, young lady," Jasper said, in a voice that sounded eerily like her father. She could never understand how he did that voice so well.

"Alrighty," she replied simply, shutting the door as quickly as she could.

"What was going on in there?" Edward asked teasingly.

"Um, well, Alice came over to, um, help me get dressed and Jasper and Emmett just came over to tease me."

Her face was red with her embarrassment, and Edward lifted his hand to the side of her face, running his thumb over one of her cheeks. Her heart-rate doubled, sending a jolt of longing through her entire body.

"Well, you look beautiful," he told her sincerely.

She smiled shyly at him. "Thank you."

He took her hand in his and off they went.

* * *

The date began the way a regular date would, though still very much fun. They ate dinner at a small Italian restaurant that Edward had been told about by someone he worked with in the library. The food was delicious, and they were right in the heart of the city. It was a beautiful evening and they planned on taking a walk through the New York City streets after their meal.

Their plans changed somewhere around the end of their appetizer, and they each had a hand extended to the middle of the table, fiddling with each other's fingers.

"So, tell me something about yourself from when you were a kid. Something you're really embarrassed about," Bella said.

Edward chuckled. "Um…okay, fine, but you're going next."

Bella nodded, holding back a giggle.

"When I was a kid, I was obsessed with magic."

"Obsessed how?"

"Like I wanted to be a magician. I went to magic camp and my parents bought me a magic set, and I would just go around to all my family and friends and do magic tricks for them."

Bella giggled. "You're kidding!"

"And I called myself 'Edward the Great'. True story."

"That's adorable! How old were you?" Bella could not hold back her laughter.

"It probably started when I was about seven. I toned it down a bit when I got to high school, because, you know, the teasing." He winked at her, and she was surprised at how that one simple gesture made her body go weak.

"So, what kind of tricks are we talking about? Disappearing acts? Card tricks?"

"Mostly card tricks, since it was easier to just carry my deck of cards with me. But I did make a few things disappear too."

"You carried a deck of cards around with you?" This just kept getting better and better.

He nodded.

"Do you have one right now?" she asked eagerly.

He shook his head.

"Darn. I want to see some magic tricks."

"I'm sure we can find some cards somewhere in this city."

Bella clapped her hands in front of her. "Really? We have to. We just have to. After dinner?"

Edward nodded his agreement through a grin.

"Hey, it's your turn now!" he teased.

"Alright, alright. Um…one time when I was a kid, I went to a birthday party where they were painting the kids' faces, and I got my face painted like a cat. And then for the rest of the week I made my mom put milk into bowls so I could lick it up like a cat."

Edward's laughter consumed him and he threw his head back. She couldn't deny how infectious his happiness was.

"A _week_?"

"A whole week."

They were both laughing so hard they could barely talk.

"Well what about the face paint? Did you keep it on all week?"

"Oh, no, my mom made me wash it off before bed that night. I, um…made her paint on a new cat face every morning."

Edward's laugh bellowed louder.

"Why on earth did you want to be a cat so badly?"

"I have no idea."

* * *

After walking hand in hand to a convenience store to grab a deck of cards, they walked hand in hand to Central Park, and didn't let go of one another until they were sitting on a bench. They sat facing one another, Bella with both legs crossed and Edward with one tucked underneath him. It didn't go unnoticed to either one of them that their knees were touching.

Just that very simple thing sent a very welcome fire through Bella's entire body.

He shuffled the deck as he explained his first trick, and she made an effort to focus on everything he was saying, distracted as she was by the heat coursing through her.

She picked her card as directed, hiding it from Edward, and trying her hardest to watch exactly what he was doing with his hands.

_His hands…_

Her eyes kept roaming to the planes of his face – his jaw, his eyes, the way his lips pursed when he was concentrating – and she had to keep reminding herself to focus.

Seven tricks later, she still had no clue how he did it.

So they spent the rest of their evening sitting on that very bench in the park, teaching and learning all about magic tricks.

"So, um, do you think we should meet up with them at Quinn's?" she asked him eventually, adjusting herself to cuddle into his side and lean her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her.

"I guess," he answered. It would keep him from inviting her back to his dorm like he so badly wanted to, but knew it was too soon for that.

"So, I guess this is the official end to our first date," he told her.

She nodded against him.

"So…" his voice grew soft. "Can I give you your goodnight kiss now?"

She lifted her head to look at him and nodded again, this time smiling widely in anticipation.

He adjusted them for easier access, and made his move. The kiss was soft and sweet, before turning into a little more than that. Her hands fisted into the front of his shirt, and his hands slid into her hair. She all but melted as the kiss became deeper. The feelings surging through her were almost too much to take…_almost_. Bella had never wanted anyone the way she wanted Edward, and all she knew was that it made her excited in every way imaginable.

Bella sighed as Edward's lips moved from her mouth to the edge of her jaw. They were soft as they skimmed the sensitive spot at the base of her ear, and she got goosebumps as they travelled down the length of her neck to the base of her throat.

The stirrings were so new to her that they were entirely overwhelming.

His lips travelled back up the way that they came, eventually landing once more on her mouth.

Just as their tongues found one another again, voices were heard not far away. They broke apart reluctantly, foreheads touching, as the group of four passed by them, chatting loudly.

Their breaths slowed and Bella rested her head once again on Edward's shoulder as she giggled through her laboured breaths.

In a moment of confidence, Bella brought her hand to rest on Edward's thigh, high enough to be more than just friendly, and nuzzled into his neck.

"That was the best goodnight kiss ever," she whispered.

"Yeah," Edward answered, unable to really say anything else.

Bella lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "Should we go?"

"Yeah."

But instead of holding hands this time, Edward flung his arm across Bella's shoulders and pulled her in tight. In turn, she wrapped her arm around his waist and off they went, holding each other as close as possible.

* * *

"Bella, Bella, Bella!" Alice called through the crowd. She made her way to Bella and Edward just as they had spotted their friends in the busy pub.

She grabbed Bella's hand and began dragging her away promptly. "Hi, Edward. Bella, we need to talk to you," Alice chattered.

As Bella's hand slipped out of Edward's, she looked up at him, casting an apologetic look his way. He smirked, satisfied with the fact that he would have many more of these nights with Bella.

Alice hauled her all the way to the girls' room, where Rosalie was waiting, leaning against the sinks. Alice took her place beside Rosalie, and it started.

"So, did he kiss you?"

"Of course he kissed her, Alice." And then a slight pause. "He kissed you, right?"

"Yes, he kissed me," Bella grinned. But she was not above gloating. Not after tonight.

She would never forget the goosebumps she felt as Edward gently brushed her hair behind her shoulder, lightly placing his hand just at the base of her neck before leaning in for the softest, sweetest kiss she'd ever had. How could she help it if her hands ended up fisting his shirt and pulling him closer? A girl can only do so much.

Alice and Rosalie listened eagerly as Bella regaled with the tale of what happened less than an hour ago. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. Never in a million years would she have thought she would end up kissing Edward Cullen.

"So, are you guys, like, _together_?" Rosalie asked.

Bella shrugged, though she really couldn't stop smiling. "I guess. I mean, that's what it feels like. That's kind of what it always felt like, even before. I can't really explain it…"

"I totally get it," Alice said seriously, holding up her hand indicating that Bella needn't say more.

"You _would_ totally get it. You and Jasper are freaky, the way that you just…_are_," Rosalie said.

"Alice," Bella began. "I love you. And I love that you're with Jasper. And I love that he met you and you're going to get married."

"Bella!" Alice shouted, hitting her on the arm.

"I'm serious! You guys are forever. I see it in Jasper's eyes."

Alice rolled hers in response, though she was smiling.

"So when are you going out again?" Rosalie asked, her curiosity about the new couple not really satisfied.

"Don't know…we haven't really gotten that far yet. I mean, we _just_ ended our date like, an hour ago. Could this not have waited until tomorrow?"

"We actually needed to talk to you about something else," Alice told her. "Non-Edward related."

"Oh! Sure, what's up?"

Alice and Rosalie looked at one another and grinned before turning back to Bella.

"Well," Rosalie began. "Alice and I were talking earlier about where we wanted to live next year, so we checked out this app on her phone that has rental listings in the area, and…" she looked at Alice once more. "_You_ tell her!"

"We found the _perfect_ apartment, Bella," she jumped in, excitedly. "It's seriously perfect. It's even got three whole bedrooms. I mean, two of them are the size of a closet because they used to be one whole room, but still. _Three_ rooms. And the rent is pretty wild, but split three ways, it's totally doable if we each had a part-time job."

"And it's in a great location. Only a fifteen-minute walk from campus," Rosalie continued. "So…basically, what we're saying is…"

"We should all live there. The three of us. Together."

Bella was stunned as she listened to her friends go on. She had thought a bit about where she would live when she returned next year, but figured she would sort it out during the summer.

"Well, when's it available?" She asked. It was all she could think of.

"August 1st. I swear, this place is meant for us. How perfect is it, Bella?" Alice enthused, taking both Bella's hands in hers.

"It sounds great! But, can we see it first?"

"Of course! I'll contact the girl tonight about it. Maybe she'll let us go this weekend," Rosalie offered, taking out her phone.

"Wow, this is certainly…un expected," Bella said.

"But really awesome, right?" Alice grinned.

Bella couldn't help but return her excitement. Because it really was truly awesome.

"We should get back out there, they're going to wonder what's taking us so long," Rosalie commented.

As they headed back out and over to where the boys were playing a game of pool, Edward smiled when they approached. He put down his cue and met Bella halfway, wrapping an arm around her as they walked back to the group together.

* * *

**The next chapter is ALL Bella and Edward : ) I'm still working on it, not sure when I'll post it...**


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

The day came when it was time for everyone to return home. More precisely, Jasper and Bella were leaving first, which Bella was finding to be harder than she imagined. Especially after last night.

She knew on some level that she and Edward would be separated for the summer, but when it was actually time for that to happen, her sadness was overwhelming.

_Three months. I can do three months._

* * *

The day before she was due to return home, Bella stood in the shower and all she could think about was the day ahead of her, and what that night would bring.

…

"Edward, I want to."

"Bella…" His tone was warning.

"Edward…" Her tone was pleading, and maybe a little bit mocking.

"We just-"

"We didn't _just_, Edward. I really am ready. I want this. Do you…not?"

"Bella, I do, I promise. I really want this. I _really_ want this. I just don't want to rush anything, you know? I mean, we'll be apart all summer…"

"Exactly. The anticipation of seeing you again is going to kill me."

He laughed. "So, you want this to be like a big send-off then? You're _sure_ it's not too soon for you?"

Bella had thought about it. A _lot_. And she concluded that she was, indeed, crazy, for wanting to sleep with Edward so soon into their relationship. She had never thought she'd ever rush into something like this. But the thing was, it didn't feel like rushing. In reality, everything with Edward had actually seemed to be moving in super slow motion.

There was no way to know for sure, but Bella knew. For sure. He was it. Though she had very little experience with guys in her life, this was something she was completely sure about.

She was bound to him the moment she saw him on the first day of school. They became instant great friends, and they would be forever. They were destined to be together, as cliché as it sounded in her head. They just…_were_. Like puzzle pieces. Their picture was complete when they were together. Nothing would ever happen in their lives to change it.

They would go through it all together in their lives – good, bad, beautiful and ugly – but their commitment, friendship and respect for one another would give them strength to make it through to the other side. This is what she knew. It just wouldn't make sense for it to be any other way.

So she took his hands in hers, straightened herself up, positioning herself directly in front of him before looking him dead in the eyes.

"I'm sure."

But he didn't respond. Instead, he just looked back at her, as if waging a war with himself.

"Edward, what's wrong?" she sighed, flopping herself back on her bed.

He sighed right back. "It's just that, you've never…"

She lifted herself so that she was leaning on her elbows, urging him with her eyes to continue. "I've never…"

"You've never slept with anyone. I don't want you to regret anything."

Bella sat up, keeping her hands to herself this time. "Listen. I don't really know what you're getting at. Are _you_ not wanting to be my first? Because I get that someone else got to have you first, Edward. I get that. And it sucks, but there's nothing we can do to change that. I want it to be you, okay? Regardless of what happens to us. I want it to be _you_."

Her voice had lowered itself into a mumble, almost embarrassed with her admission, and she lowered her gaze to her fidgeting fingers.

Edward pulled her eyes back up to his with his hands on her face.

"Bella, I want to be your first. I want to be your _only_. I just want it to be perfect for you. No regrets."

She smiled at him, hoping it would reassure him a little more. "No regrets."

…

That was two weeks ago. And they hadn't had the opportunity for _it_ to happen. So, two days ago, Bella had had enough. She had decided that they would be spending her last night in New York together. It didn't even take any effort to coordinate, though she was ready to try.

"_So, um, are you staying at Alice's tomorrow night?" she had asked Jasper, ready to beg him to stay there overnight._

"_Obviously. A whole summer apart, Bella," he mused. "I'm not looking forward to it."_

"_I know," she sulked. "But we'll have each other to keep company, right?" she tried perking him up._

_He only smirked at her. "Not the same."_

_Bella gasped in mock horror. "Whoa. Are you saying that I'm not your favourite person in the whole world anymore?"_

"_You've been bumped," he said through a mouthful of French fries._

_Bella only smiled in response. She always knew Jasper would end up with someone amazing, but neither of them knew he would find her so soon._

"_Why? You staying overnight with Edward?" he smirked, tossing a fry at her. So transparent, that Bella._

_She blushed, even though it was only Jasper. "Maybe."_

"_We should buy Alice a present for having a single room."_

"_Oh, definitely. It totally paid off."_

And now the day had come and everything was set to go. Before she got out of the shower, Bella ran her hands along her legs one more time, making sure she didn't miss any spots while shaving. When she was satisfied, she got out, wrapped herself in a towel and looked at herself in the mirror.

_This is it, Bella. You can do it. Just go with it. It's Edward. It will be perfect, no matter what._

The pep talk did nothing to calm her nerves.

She heard a knock at the door before she had even come out of the bathroom, and was relieved that Alice was so punctual.

This night would need all the primping it could get, starting with one of Alice's amazing blow-outs.

After Alice had left, Bella had just enough time to email her flight information to her parents before hearing another knock at the door.

But this particular knock made her jump and sent her body into overdrive. She was so nervous that she could actually feel her limbs tingling, and got up on shaky legs to answer the door.

The second she saw him, it all just dissipated.

There he stood, leaning against the door frame with a red rose in his hand, his perfect lopsided smile playing on his lips and his glasses that she loved so much sitting atop his perfect nose.

"Well, well, well," she said playfully, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's about time you got here." He could tell in the smile on her face that she was only joking. Even with his little detour, he was right on time.

"Sorry. My little excursion to the florist took a little longer than expected."

He took two steps towards her and handed her the beautiful flower, as he leaned in for a kiss. As he pulled away, he smacked his lips together.

"What is that? Berry?" he asked, referring to the lip balm she had just applied.

"Um, cherry. Yeah."

"I like it."

"Well, you can have some more if you like," she flirted.

He responded by taking her up on her offer. He pulled her towards him by the waist, wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground, all the while kissing her deeply.

She kept her arms firmly around his neck when he put her down. "You missed some," she whispered. He chuckled and kissed her again. Only, this time, his hands wandered a little further south to the hem of her shirt, where they played with the bare skin that met the waist of her pants.

Her fingers weaved their way into his hair as she pulled him even closer, and she took the opportunity to feel their bodies pressed against one another. She could feel every pull of his muscles as his hands glided across her back, every breath, every heartbeat. She was completely lost in his warmth.

Which reminded her…

"I should finish packing," she breathed as she reluctantly tore her lips from hers.

He leaned back in and kept kissing, choosing to ignore the chore they had promised to do together.

As his lips made their way to her neck, she took the opportunity to speak again, though her breath was laboured and her voice was unconvincing.

"Edward. I have to…finish…packing."

She threw her head back as he kissed her collarbone, feeling his hands on her behind, pulling her even closer.

"The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go back to your place."

It was the most convincing argument she could find, and it was true. She didn't want to have anything else lingering when it was time. She wanted to focus every ounce of her attention on the man holding onto her.

She could feel his body relaxing and pulling back, though he physically wasn't pulling back at all.

Edward kissed his way back up her neck and back to her mouth, though much more chastely than before.

"Fine," he sighed, looking her in the eyes. "But we should hurry."

She giggled and agreed, and they set about packing her last few boxes as quickly as they could.

They folded her sheets and packed them away, and sealed and labelled all of the boxes they had filled, all within an hour.

"Let's go for a walk," Edward suggested as they sat on her bed and leaned against the wall.

"A walk?"

"Yeah. It's really nice out. And it's your last day in New York for the whole summer."

She smiled and agreed. Bella took one last look around the room, making sure she didn't miss anything, and they set out for their walk.

It really was the perfect day. Sunny and breezy, and they took their time walking the streets surrounding the campus. They stopped for a slice of pizza, and then walked to a bakery and Bella bought them some cupcakes "for later." Edward couldn't protest to that.

With their treats in hand, they began making their way back to campus.

"I'll miss you this summer, Bella."

"I'll miss you too."

"It will be so weird not being around you."

"Yeah, it really will be weird."

"You can call me whenever you want, you know," Edward said in a mock-nonchalant tone. Bella smiled up at him.

"I will. And you can call me anytime."

"I will."

He squeezed her hand as they continued their walk.

"This turned out to be a pretty good year," he reflected.

"The best."

They made a pit-stop at Bella's dorm room to get her overnight bag and headed back to Edward's.

Once they arrived, there was nothing left to do but _it_. And Bella was suddenly extremely nervous again, having absolutely no idea how to even begin.

"Do you want to, um, watch a movie or something?" Edward asked, sensing that she didn't want to just jump right in. He obviously wouldn't have minded that, but Edward wanted this experience to be good for Bella. She had to be comfortable.

"Sure, that would be good," she replied eagerly.

They chose something light, and Bella sat on the edge of Edward's bed while he set it up.

When he was ready, they situated themselves so they were lying on their stomachs, facing the television, and cuddled quite close. Their arms were crossed under them, propping them up, and when Bella felt Edward's fingers brush lightly across hers, she felt a rush of desire flood her entire body and settle right in the pit of her stomach.

The movie was completely lost on her. All she could focus on was Edward's soft touch and how it might feel for those fingers to explore other parts of her.

As they watched, Bella felt more and more comfortable, and became more ready by the second. Her nerves wouldn't ruin it for her, and she had had enough of waiting.

She leaned her head on his shoulder for a minute, and he leaned back into her. When she lifted her head again, she brought her lips to the spot right below Edward's earlobe and gave him a soft kiss.

As she pulled back, his face turned to hers and was so close she got lost in his warm breath on her face. His eyes were beaming with anticipation, and it sent a shiver down her spine – a good one.

Edward wasted no time in leaning in to kiss her mouth. She responded instantly, and so they kissed like that for a minute or two before shifting so that Edward was lying slightly on top of her. His hands roamed from her face to her chest, grazing quickly down to her ribs, her stomach, her hips, and back up again.

Bella's breath was laboured, and she felt every nerve ending in her body stand at attention. She felt him everywhere, all at once, and it was heaven.

Edward's hand travelled down her thigh, and his hand grasped behind her knee, hitching her leg up around his hip. Her hands explored his shoulders, his arms, his chest, up into his hair to pull him closer.

In a moment of fearlessness, Bella pushed him down gently so that he was on his back, and straddled him. His hands rested at her hips as he looked up at her, breathing heavily.

As she kept her eyes locked on his, Bella reached for the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head, letting her hair fall across her shoulders as she tossed it aside.

Edward swallowed hard before swiftly sitting up and running hands up her sides, feeling her smooth bare skin under his. His eyes stayed locked on hers as his hands roamed some more. They kissed deeply as they held tight to one another, and Bella took it further by snaking her fingers underneath the hem of Edward's shirt.

She could feel him stiffen at her touch, and his kisses grew more urgent. She had only pushed his shirt up a couple of inches before he grabbed it and flung it off.

His arms wrapped back around her instantly, and he removed her bra as their mouths and tongues played around.

Once he tossed it aside, he slowly slid his arms around her and pulled her flush against him. The sensation of skin on skin was one Bella would never forget. He was warm and welcoming and nothing had ever felt so incredible in her entire life. So there they sat, Bella sitting on Edward, holding one another as they kissed slowly, deeply, passionately.

Edward pushed her gently so that she was on her back, with him hovering over her. Their lips stayed locked as much as they could while they shed one another of the rest of their clothing.

He kissed her everywhere he could as he made his way down, growing a little more nervous and excited with every inch that took him closer to his destination. He couldn't believe how different it was. How different the feelings were, how many more feelings there were. He had thought he had experienced passion in his life, but this was a whole other level that he wasn't expecting. It wasn't just his desire for Bella that made the experience a new one, but the desire he felt to give her everything. _This_ was want. _This _was need. _This_ was true love.

Bella never thought she could physically ever feel this good. She couldn't believe the feelings coursing through her, both emotional and physical. It was beyond ecstasy.

Every touch, every kiss, every thrust transformed her into a new person. She had never felt more womanly, more precious, more loved. And she had never felt more love for anyone than she did for Edward. It was new and exciting, and having the ability to love someone this much and this way made her feel so much more alive.

The way he held her was tender and full of passion. He was firm, but gentle, as he held her close while he showed her every way he could how deeply he felt for her.

As their bodies grew hotter and their skin gleamed with a damp glow, Bella felt it. The most intense, most wonderful, most earth shattering burst of sensation she could ever imagine. Edward followed soon after, moving with her as she rode out her high.

He collapsed on the bed beside her and promptly pulled her into him, where she rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Edward," she whispered.

"Bella," he whispered back.

"That was-"

"I love you."

She lifted her head swiftly, looking him in the eye, hoping to God that she heard him right.

He swallowed hard as he looked back at her, trying to gauge her reaction.

"Edward?" Her heart was pounding and she felt like she was floating. For real floating.

"I love you," he repeated.

"You love me?"

"I do."

"I love you, too," she smiled.

And then she kissed him on the mouth, and then again and again, before taking her lips over the rest of his face, planting kisses on every inch of skin she could. And when she was done with his face, she moved to his neck and planted kissed all the way down to his chest, where she finally laid her head once more.

He squeezed her tightly and that's how they fell asleep, snuggled up in his tiny dorm room bed.

They ate their cupcakes for breakfast.

* * *

**Sooooo...what did you think? Short and sweet, I like to think. ; )**

**Thanks so much for sticking with me, even with the long breaks between posts. And thanks to all the Followers, Favouriters, and Reviewers! You make my heart sing every time I get one of those little notifications! **

**MUAH! **


	15. Chapter 15

**This is the last one…I hope you like it!**

**I appreciate every single review that you guys send to me! Even the ones that hate my Edward so much ; ) **

**I hope you enjoyed my story : ) As you can probably tell by my other stories, I'm all about the fluffy HEAs! **

* * *

**CHAPTER 15**

There was a soft knock at the door, startling Bella out of her daze. She tore her eyes away from the mirror and turned her head towards the door distractedly.

"Come in," she called. "Unless you're Edward. Then stay away," she added with a smile.

She turned back to the mirror as she heard the door open and shut quietly.

"Bella," the voice said in a breathy whisper. She smiled brightly in response, knowing exactly who had come in to see her.

She turned to him and was moved by the look of pure pride and adoration in his eyes.

"You look…amazing," he told her.

"Thanks, Jasper." She couldn't stop smiling. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't.

He took the few strides towards her, closing the space between them and enveloped her in a tight hug, careful not to tug on her veil.

She pulled back from him and held him at arm's length, eyeing his crisp black three-piece suit.

"_You_ look amazing! Wow!" She ran her hands along his lapel and then touched the soft petals of his boutonniere. "I can't believe this is actually happening," she whispered with tears in her eyes.

"I can. You deserve this, Bells."

"When did we grow up?"

"Speak for yourself. I'm _still_ not grown up."

She chuckled softly.

"Are you nervous?" he asked her.

"Yes. And no. I'm not nervous about getting married. But I'm _really_ nervous about walking down the aisle and everyone watching me."

"You'll be fine. You'll be better than fine. Think of the man waiting at the other end."

She nodded in agreement, blinking back tears.

"I'm so happy you're our best man, Jasper."

"Would it ever have been any other way?" he winked.

"I'm just happy you and Edward are such good friends."

"He's a good man, Bella."

"He's the best. How's he doing, anyways?"

"Excited. Nervous. Alice is distracting him with hints about what you're wearing to bed tonight." Jasper rolled his eyes in good humour.

Bella giggled, her excitement at seeing Edward mounting.

A soft knock interrupted them. The door peeked open a crack and Bella's mother poked her head through.

"It's time, baby," she whispered, trying to hold back her excitement.

Jasper turned back to Bella. "I gotta go. See you out there."

He leaned in for one more kiss on the cheek, grasping Bella's hand tightly. "Love you," he added with a wink.

"Love you, too."

Jasper headed out to be with Edward and Bella's parents came in to join her.

"Ready, kid?" Her father asked with a smirk.

Bella nodded, taking in a deep breath.

"We're proud of you, Bells," he told her as they linked arms.

"Thanks, Dad."

"Are you happy, baby?" her mother asked, fixing the train of Bella's dress.

"Never been happier," Bella smiled with tears in her eyes.

"Okay, the music is starting," Charlotte said as she peeked her head through the door of the tiny room.

Bella smiled her way and headed out to get married, clutching her father close by.

As she stood, waiting her turn to head down the aisle, Edward's mother glanced back at her briefly, offering a smile and a wink before her entrance with her husband.

Bella smiled to herself, recalling a time when Edward's parents didn't like her.

…

_As they made the drive to Edward's home, Bella grew more and more quiet._

"_What's wrong?" Edward asked her, keeping his eyes on the road but taking her hand in his._

"_I'm just nervous."_

"_Don't be. They'll love you. I promise."_

_Bella snapped her head towards Edward, her glare conveying just how ridiculous that comment was._

_"Edward, I'm sure they won't. And if they do, it will take a _long_ time. Remember Kate? Because, I do. And I'm _sure_ they do, too."_

"_They won't be comparing you to her."_

"_Yes, they will," she sighed and turned back to look out the window. _

_When they finally arrived, Bella did all she could to quell her nerves. She found that Mr. and Mrs. Cullen – "Please, dear, call us Carlisle and Esme" – were perfectly cordial and welcoming. They asked her questions in earnest and did their best to try to get to know her as much as possible in their short visit._

_But when Bella made a trip to the washroom after they had finished dinner, she had overheard a conversation she was sure she wasn't meant to, as Carlisle and Esme made their way to the kitchen to tidy up.  
_

"_She's nothing like I thought she would be," Esme said in a hushed tone._

"_She's wonderful," Carlisle remarked._

"_I just…I don't understand what happened with Kate. How could they just break up so suddenly? Clearly Bella came between them. I just don't know if I can trust her."_

"_You need to relax. People change when they start college. You need to trust Edward's judgement. See? She's not the slutty girl you were expecting her to be. She's wonderful. You know Edward. He's got a good head on his shoulders."_

_Esme sighed. "You're right."_

"_Kate cheated on me with a guy from her Sociology class," Edward said casually as he entered the room. They must not have realized that Edward could hear everything from the living room where he was waiting for everyone._

_Bella smiled to herself at the way he stood up for her, and used this opportunity to step into the kitchen to join the group._

_When she entered, she noted Esme's dropped jaw and Carlisle's stunned posture. They quickly recovered, Esme blushing deeply as she clearly realized Bella may have heard the exchange as well._

"_Sorry the clean-up is taking so long," Esme changed the subject. "I'll just get the plates for dessert."_

_Her eyes conveyed something of an apology as she looked at Bella while she spoke. Bella smiled kindly back._

"_It's no problem at all. What can I help with?" She stood by Edward's side, and he looked down at her in admiration. He knew she'd heard it all and was taking it all in stride. His eyes travelled her face as she offered her help and his heart swelled at the graceful gesture._

_Bella squeezed Edward's hand tightly before making her way to get the plates and forks, at Esme's direction. A silent thanks for sticking up for her._

…

As her bridesmaids began walking down the aisle, Bella grew more and more nervous. The tears came and just wouldn't stop. She tried desperately to keep them at bay, which only resulting in her whole body to be completely enveloped in the excitement and nervousness that took over her every thought and feeling.

First Rosalie…then Alice…

When it was Charlotte's turn to make her way down the aisle, she peeked back at Bella and smiled, blowing her a kiss.

"Ready?" Charlie asked his daughter.

She couldn't speak, she could only nod. And before she knew it, the violinist had transitioned to a different tune and she knew it was their cue.

Bella took a deep, shaky breath and clutched tightly onto her father's arm as they began walking. The crowd was small, though she still couldn't find Edward's eyes right away. The second she did, she took in his easy smile and his eyes intently focused on her, and every ounce of anxiety had simply trickled away.

All that was left was the pull she felt to get herself to the altar; to the man she would be tying herself to forever, in mere moments.

"Slow down, kiddo," Charlie whispered, tugging gently on Bella's arm to pull her back.

Her eyes were locked on his, and she couldn't tear them away. Her smile grew more and more with each step she took.

And as soon as her future husband shook hands with her father and placed Edward's hand in Bella's, there was no longer anyone else in the world. It was the two of them.

"Hi, beautiful," Edward whispered as he leaned in close to her face.

She squeezed his hand hard, using everything she had to force herself to save their kiss for the end of the ceremony.

The words of the service were all a blur to Bella. All she could focus on was the reality of the situation. How she had found the man she was marrying, and that he made her happier than she ever thought could be her reality.

She thought back to the times he had met her for lunch at her workplace on the days his work schedule would allow. How every Friday night they would make dinner together and eat it in front of the television.

She thought about the day they moved into their apartment, and how she had to run out for some nails to hang pictures. When she returned from the hardware store, he had dinner ready at the table. A frozen pizza and grape juice in wine glasses. A candle, place mats and folded napkins completed the picture, with all of their unpacked and half-unpacked boxes surrounding them.

She thought of the time they went out to a movie one crisp autumn evening, and halfway to the theatre she realized she had left her lip balm at home. The cold weather had always made her lips chapped and she knew she'd be bothered by the dryness all evening.

"_I saw that you'd left it on your night side table," he noted, pulling it out of his pocket. "So I grabbed it for you."_

It was all of those little things that he did for her that made her heart pitter-patter. And now they would be married. She knew she could never want anyone else, could never have ended up with anyone else.

Her thoughts landed on the day he proposed. How she was so happy that she was convinced she was dreaming.

…

"_Bella," he sounded nervous. His voice was shaky. She could tell even with the single word he uttered._

_But as her name rolled off his tongue, she had a flash to the first time he'd said her name like that. In the hallways outside of his dorm room, back when they were freshmen._

"_Yeah?"_

_He paused, looking at her intensely. She stopped chewing the bacon she had just popped into her mouth, as they sat at the breakfast bar of the apartment she shared with Rosalie and Alice._

_He stood up abruptly and went back to her bedroom without a word. She watched him wide-eyed, not knowing if she should follow him. She quickly chewed and swallowed the bite in her mouth, took a quick swig of orange juice, and stood up to follow him. _

_She watched him come back to her and they met halfway, in the living room area. She couldn't tear her eyes away from his face. He looked nervous, unsure. She had never seen his demeanor so on edge before, and it was starting to worry her. _

_And still he paused, looking down at his hands, though she was still looking at his face. His hair. His beautifully messy bed-head hair. And then he pushed his glasses up further on his nose – a gesture she always secretly loved more than just about anything._

"_Edward?" she asked tentatively. "You're making me nervous."_

_His eyes snapped up to hers suddenly, and his face had changed instantly. It was as though a switch had flipped, and his eyes reflected a certain excitement and intensity._

_His hands made a slight movement between them and his eyes flickered down to the object he was holding, willing her to do the same. _

_He stared at her face as she looked down between them. She took in the look of his hands and the way they steadily held the black velvet box. She took in the brightness of the band it held in its cushion, displaying the shine of a beautiful diamond perched right on top._

_He watched her eyes grow wide and her gasping face go white. He watched her eyes instantly pool with tears as her mouth formed words that wouldn't escape her._

_He watched her look up at him again, questioning and surprised and excited. _

"_Marry me," he stammered nervously. _

"_Edward," she whispered._

"_Marry me, Bella."_

_She smiled brightly through her tears, and nodded enthusiastically. Passionately. _

"_Yes," she choked out. "Yes."_

_He brushed away the lone tear that ran down her cheek, smiling through his relief. _

_She covered her mouth with her hands in sheer disbelief as he took the ring out of the black velvet and tossed the now-useless box aside._

_Her arms dropped to her side and he reached down for her left hand. She sniffled as he lifted it gently and slid the ring on the appropriate finger._

"_Perfect fit," she giggled._

"_I had Alice steal one of your rings for me," he shrugged._

_She vaguely recalled the ring she thought she had lost before it mysteriously reappeared three days later._

"_I love you," she told him._

"_I love you," he replied as he leaned in and crashed his lips against those of his future wife._

_And they stood, kissing in her living room in their bare feet and pyjamas. Messy hair and no makeup, but Bella had never felt more whole._

…

Bella looked around to their attendants, at the faces of Jasper, then Alice and Rosalie, then over to a crying Charlotte, and finally up at Edward, her husband.

He looked back down at her, smirking and nudging his side against hers as he squeezed her hand firmly.

_Me and you, _he mouthed.

_Me and you_, she mouthed back. He winked at her just as the long awaited words were uttered.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

And with that, they turned to one another, smiling widely. They leaned in for their kiss, pulling away ever so slowly, as Edward snaked his arms firmly around her waist and hugged her close as he buried his face into her neck. She pulled him ever so close and closed her eyes as planted a soft kiss to her collarbone.

This was it. Their past, their present, their future. They would be doing it all together from now on, just as they had been since the day they met seven years ago. They had come a long way, separately and together, right from the moment they met.

The applause around them was muffled in their ears, as they could hear nothing but their whispered promises to love each other forever.

* * *

**The end : )**

**I hope you enjoyed my little story, and that you'll read my other stuff and any future stories I post...thanks for stopping by! MUAH! oxoxox**


End file.
